Business, trade and jobs will not to be shifted from Torkham station and trade will be boosted up to 5 billion dollars at Torkham, Jamrud dry port, Peshawar Custom Collector Qurban Ali said while speaking to a gathering of Shinwari tribe elders and custom clearing agents at Landikotal on Thursday.
Custom Collector Qurban Ali, as a chief guest at a selected gathering of Shinwari Khuga Khel tribe elders and Torkham custom clearing agents, said it was out of question that the government would be shifting business, trade and jobs from Torkham station to Jamrud dry port, adding that annually Torkham Custom station was giving a profit of more than 3 billion dollars which the custom department was planning to enhance up to 5 billion.
He said that if the Shinwari tribe elders were willing, the government could build another custom station at Landikotal besides Torkham, adding that Jamrud dry port would be shortly established to cater to the needs of the custom keeping in view the growing trade on this route. He also said that 0.5 million tons sugar would be exported to Afghanistan for which the labour at Torkham would not be sufficient.
Qurban Ali said the government had established a new department for Chamman, Torkham and Wahga borders known as Pakistan Land Port Authority so that the trade and business could be boosted. He said the government was interested to facilitate tribal people.
He lauded the sacrifices of the tribal people for Pakistan. Illegal business and export would be strictly forbidden and checked at any cost in the interests of the country, he said, adding that after collection of taxes the government would spend this money on development of the country.