FARDEZ (SW) – A number of businessmen in Paktia say that the transfer of customs office from Gardiz city, the capital of this province, to Dandpatan district near the Durand line, has faced them with many problems, including the lack of banking services and storage.
Merchants in Paktia add that the transfer of this customs office from Gardiz disrupts their business process.
Mehboobullah, a merchant in Paktia, told Salam Watandar: “If a document is returned from an office because of a problem, the driver, commission worker, company or businessman has to travel two to three hours to reach the provincial center and prepare his documents and return back to the district. This is a waste of time and economic activities. Transferring customs to Dand Patan is not beneficial for us, nor is it useful for the country’s economy and future.”
The merchant in Paktia also expressed their concerns that on the Durand Line, there are occasional clashes between the Afghan and Pakistani forces, which, according to them, cause damage to merchants and commercial goods.
The merchants want the Islamic Emirate to return the customs office to Gardiz to facilitate their work.
At the same time, the officials of the customs department in Dand Patan district say that about a month ago, according to the order of the Ministry of Finance, they moved the customs office from Gardiz city to here.
Fazlul Haq Muneeb, head of Paktia Customs, also confirmed the problems of the merchants, and said that the decision to move the customs office was made in order to facilitate the work of the merchants, and in the next few days, the bank branch and warehouse will be activated there. According to him, one of the important problems was that the customs office in Gardiz city was small, but in Dand Patan, there is a large place at the disposal of the customs department, which can accommodate many cars.
The head of Paktia Customs added: “Because the export has increased, we have moved the customs office to Dand Patan for the convenience of traders. Many problems have been solved here such as the description of exports, which is now done in a completely transparent manner. There are no problems, but its facilities are many. God willing, the bank branch will be opened in the near future and our employees are working.”
ENDS
