Karachi ports suspend Afghan transit trade for indefinite period

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has directed authorities to halt the transportation of Afghan transit trade from Karachi ports indefinitely. Following the order, all container terminals began offloading loaded containers from vehicles, while gate passes for Afghan transit were immediately canceled.

A meeting of the Director General (DG) Afghan Transit Trade was held at the Customs House, Karachi, after which a Customs General Order was issued.

The decision came as the parking capacity for containers at customs stations in Quetta and Peshawar reached full capacity, forcing a halt in clearance at Karachi Port and Port Qasim.

The suspension will remain in effect until the situation improves.

According to details, the meeting, chaired by the DG Afghan Transit Trade at the Directorate of Transit Trade Headquarters, Customs House, Karachi, was attended by the directors of Afghan Transit Quetta and Peshawar.

Following the meeting, Customs General Order  was issued, stating that the transportation of Afghan transit trade has been suspended indefinitely due to the exhaustion of container parking space at the Quetta and Peshawar customs stations.

The order directed all terminals to offload Afghan transit trade containers that were already loaded onto vehicles, cancel all gate passes, and halt further transport.

After the issuance of this order, all terminals at Karachi Port and Port Qasim stopped clearance operations for Afghan transit trade.

Customs sources confirmed that long queues of containers have formed at the South Asia Pakistan Terminals (SAPT), with hundreds of containers still loaded on vehicles. Meanwhile, scores of drivers remain stranded on routes between Quetta and Peshawar, waiting for the border to reopen.