Vested interests are mounting pressure on the sitting government to allow Indian truck entry in Pakistan in the garb of Afghan transit trade which, if given access to Pakistan roads, would harm the goods transport sector in Pakistan, said chairman of the standing committee of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on freight, forwarding and logistic services Javed Rashid Asghar Arain
In a statement, he expressed serious concerns over the terrorism incidents and smuggling of arms, asked the government to restrict Indian goods transport concerning Afghan trade strictly to Wahga Border.
He said the trader community and transport sector of the country had fully backed the bold stance of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif regarding eliminating terrorism from the soil of Pakistan and they demanded taking firm actions in this regard.
He said to ensure check to smuggling of arms and subversive activities in Pakistan, it was a must to restrict the Indian transport related to the Afghan trade to the Wahga Border and under no circumstances allowed to go beyond it; otherwise, not only the Pakistani goods transport industry would be harmed and thousands of loading and unloading labours at the Wahga Border be rendered jobless, but it would also open floodgates of smuggled goods and illegal arms in Pakistan and provide a golden chance to Indian secret agent to infiltrate into the country.
He asked the Afghan transport entering Pakistan from the Torkham border should also be subjected to strict checking. He asked modernising Torkham Border check post and equipping it with container scanners and other sophisticated machinery to check smuggling in the garb of Afghan trade.
He said special security check-up points should be established at least 10 kilometers before the Wahga Border and Karachi port to check the smuggling of arms and narcotics. He said all crew of the foreign vehicles saving one driver be stopped at these check posts and only one driver should be allowed to drive the vehicle onward. He said in this regard the instructions of the Rangers and coast guards should be strictly followed.
