Islamabad: Advisor to the Prime Minister (PM) on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood on Tuesday said that the government had provided special permission for the bulk import of foods items through the Gwadar port for transit to Afghanistan – in a bid to maintain the latter’s food supplies amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic situation, according to news sources.
Following the lockdown implementation in Pakistan and the closure of its western border, over 10,000 Afghan transit shipment containers have either been awaiting clearance at border stations of Torkham and Chaman, or are stranded at the Karachi port.
Under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement-2010, the government has given special permission to handle Afghan cargo at Gwadar Port – which will resume supply of wheat, sugar, and fertilisers to Afghanistan. These cargoes will be transmitted in sealed trucks to Afghanistan.
Dawood further revealed that the commerce ministry has approved the import of the World Food Programme cargo of 500,000 tonnes of wheat and 16,000 tonnes of DAP for Afghanistan. He said that operationalisation of Gwadar port will also generate business and employment in the area.
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