Pakistan, Afghanistan implement transit trade pact

Afghan trucks today began delivering goods to the Wagah land border crossing with India via Pakistani territory after a US-sponsored transit trade pact was implemented, an Afghan embassy official said today.

The decision to implement the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement was made during the June 10-11 visit to Islamabad by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The new agreement replaced the 1965 transit trade agreement, which allows landlocked Afghanistan to import goods through Pakistani ports.

Afghan trucks could not cross the border under the old agreement and their goods had to be transported to Pakistani cities in local trucks.

Under the new pact, Afghan trucks will go directly to Wagah and Karachi and Gwadar ports so that goods can be exported to other countries through Pakistani ports, the Afghan embassy official said.

Afghan trucks can bring goods from Lahore and not from Wagah, the official said.

Afghan and Pakistani trucks crossed the border on Saturday and Sunday after the implementation of the new agreement, he said.

Afghan trucks will not be stopped at the Torkham land border crossing for checking and Afghan fresh fruit will not be spoiled now, he said.

The trucks will also not be stopped at Peshawar and will directly go to their destinations within Pakistan.

Similarly Pakistani trucks will now cross into Central Asian states through the Heratan border.

"The new agreement will benefit both countries," the official said.

Differences over bank guarantees in the new agreement too had been removed, he added.