PESHAWAR - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) President, Dr Yousaf Sarwar has expressed concern over stoppage of consignments of Pakistani businessmen by Afghan authorities.

The consignments contained containers of fresh fruit, vegetable, sugar, and medicine for onward transportation to Central Asian countries.
In a press statement issued here on Thursday, Sarwar said Pakistan is providing transit trade facility to Afghan businessmen from the last 48 years under Geneva Agreement. While on the other hand, the Afghan government is creating hurdle in transportation of Pakistani goods to CARs, he added.
KPCCI president said due to some technical reasons like incomplete documents, strike by bonded carriers, goods transportation under Afghan Transit Trade was stopped in Pakistan for few days and now these containers are released by Custom authorities. 
While the Afghan authorities took a decision in haste of stopping Pakistani consignment in Afghanistan without any reason, he observed.
Sarwar said Pakistanis have provided shelter to their Afghan brethren from the last 35 years and shared with them all the facilities, which they also enjoyed. “The sacrifices rendered by Pakistan due to Afghan war and the hospitality extended by our countrymen to Afghans is not forgettable,” remarked President KPCCI.
The business community of Pakistan can never expect such a harsh behaviour on the part of Afghan government, but in fact wanted to promote bilateral trade between the two brotherly neighbouring countries.
He said recently the Deputy Chief Executive of Afghan Chamber, Khan Jan Oalkarzai had demanded termination of import-export business through Karachi seaport and transportation of Pakistani goods to CARs via Afghanistan. This demand of Afghan chamber was strongly condemned by business community of KP through KPCCI platform, he continued.
Sarvar said it is in the interest of both the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan that their bilateral trade enhances and it would be possible when the facilities would be provided to the business community of both the countries on reciprocal basis.
KPCCI President demanded of Foreign Minister, Hina Rabani Khar, Commerce Minister, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Chairman FBR, Ali Arshad Hakeem to take up this issue seriously with their counterparts in Afghanistan and resolve this matter at the earliest so that the business community be saved from suffering huge losses.