KUNDUZ CITY (SW): Brief fall of Kunduz City to the Taliban few months back and then the presence of people linked to this group in the outskirts of the province have affected businesses to great extent.
Shahabuddin Bawar, Head of Shir Khan Port’s Customs, said that the revenue here has seen unprecedented decline over the two months and has decreased to afn 160 million.
Shir Khan Port, which connects Afghanistan to Central Asian countries, is considered as one of the most crucial ports in the country
It is said that fighting in Kunduz has bitterly affected income at the Shir Khan Port, by some afn 100 million. He said that following the collapse to the Taliban, the income has unprecedentedly decreased and is feared to further decline.
Most of the businessmen shifted their properties from the port when the fighting intensified.
Currently 60 percent of their transit properties export or import through different routes.
Bawar added that if the government didn’t’ pay attention to ensuring businessmen and highway’s security, custom system would soon cease to exist.
Before fall of Kunduz to the militants, 100 shipments were imported and 10 exported on daily basis but currently the number of imports have declined to 10 exports have decreased to one.
Fahim Rahimi, one of the businessmen in the country, said that lack of security has concerned the businessmen.
Touching on the importance of benefits of the Shir Khan port, he said that they would not easily give up working there.
Qasim Jangal Bagh, Police Chief in Kunduz, urged businessmen and residents in the province to continue their activities at the port. He said that the government would soon expel Taliban from the province.
There are still people linked to the Taliban in some districts in Kunduz and some of them are even seen around the capital city Kunduz.
When President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani visited Kunduz, Taliban were a half kilometer away from where they fired rockets.
ENDS
