The Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan in a statement said that after August 1st, no Afghan vehicle will be allowed to enter Pakistan without a temporary permit.
According to the statement, vehicles carrying transit goods are exempt from this new order.
With the release of the statement, some export traders, concerned about the halt of their export goods at the country’s border crossings, are requesting an extension from the authorities of both sides.
“Currently, our main problem is the issuance of temporary driving permits, which Afghan drivers receive within 20 to 30 days. It is currently the season for our fruits and vegetables, and we need more vehicles. We export up to 200 vehicles per day, and the vehicles that have received permits are not more than one thousand,” said Omid Haidari, a trader.
“Two hundred vehicles are loaded daily, and all of them do not have visas and passports. The Islamic Emirate must solve this problem for us; otherwise, we will face significant difficulties,” said Mohibullah Naseri, another trader.
The Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, emphasizing the creation of more facilities for Afghan businesspeople in trade with Pakistan, said that since the start of the process of issuing temporary entry permits between Afghanistan and Pakistan, 1,400 Afghan drivers and 1,000 Pakistani drivers have received these permits.
Khan Jan Alokozay, the head of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, said: “According to the figures that have reached the Joint Chamber, so far, about 1,400 Afghans have received the entry permit form, and around one thousand Pakistani vehicles have been given this document by the Islamic Emirate’s consulate in Islamabad.”
The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation of Afghanistan, confirming this statement, said they are trying to extend this process for another fifteen days.
Imamuddin Ahmadi, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, said: “Today is the first of August, and Pakistan will not allow Afghan vehicles without a temporary entry permit. Enough time was given to them, but at the request of some transport companies, we talked to Pakistani officials yesterday to extend this process for another 15 days so that the vehicles that have not received this document can get it.”
Earlier, the government of Pakistan, in agreement with the officials of the Islamic Emirate, had ordered Afghan drivers to unload the goods transported to this country by July 15th of this year.
According to this document, Afghan drivers could not enter the country through Chaman after July 15th without a temporary entry permit.
