KABUL (SW) – A number of Afghan businessmen say that the Pakistan embassy in Kabul has not yet issued them with the temporary transit documents for the Afghan truck drivers traveling to and from Pakistan.
Gholam Rasul Hazrat, a fresh fruit merchant in Kabul, said that it has been six months since he went to the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul to get a temporary transit document, but he has not received it yet.
He adds: “It’s been almost six months since I gave the papers for five trucks and so far Pakistan embassy has not given us the TAD [temporary admission document] and we are in so much a trouble, agony and wondering what to do?”
Baba Gul, another Afghan businessman, wants the government of Pakistan to give temporary traffic documents to Afghan trucks as soon as possible so that these trucks do not stop for days on both sides of the crossing point.
He says: “Pakistan should make it easier for Afghan businessmen and their trucks, and businessmen’s trucks should be given permission so that they don’t stop at the crossings of both sides.”
The officials of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Investment (PAJCCI) in Kabul also want to create the necessary facilities from the governments of the Islamic Emirate and Pakistan in the process of distributing temporary traffic documents to the drivers of both countries.
Naqibullah Safi, the head of PAJCCI, says: “We ask Pakistan and Afghanistan to provide facilities in the process of distributing documents to the drivers of the two countries, and now this process is running slowly and we want to create more facilities.”
Officials in the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation of the de-facto government say that the Pakistani embassy in Kabul has so far distributed temporary documents of entry to Pakistan for 1,500 trucks of Afghan businessmen and this process continues.
Imamuddin Ahmadi, the spokesperson of the ministry, more explains that this document is distributed to Afghan truck drivers by the Pakistani embassy in Kabul and to Pakistani truck drivers by the Afghan embassy in Islamabad.
The Pakistani authorities announced a few months ago that truck drivers traveling between Pakistan and Afghanistan must have a Temporary Traffic Document. They emphasized that having this document is mandatory for truck drivers in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
