By Ishfaq Ahmed
The implementation on US sponsored new Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) might be delayed due to some reportedly reservations of Afghan Government.
A senior officer in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has confirmed the reports that Afghan government has some reservations of implementation on the ATTA which was agreed between Pakistan and Afghan governments last year. The officer said that the agreement was supposed to be implemented by 12 February 2011 but now it might be delayed to reservations of Afghan Government.
The officer informed that the recent agreement is 180 pages comprehensive document that has replaced the previous 12 page agreement, signed in 1965. It would further strengthen the trade and multilateral relations with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics overcoming various bottlenecks. Old agreement had lost its utility and there was a need of new agreement to streamline the trade activities. The effective legal and enforcement measures will help in controlling smuggling along with easing out trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian States.
New ATTA include arrangements for logistics, customs formalities, safety and security of cargo, protocols and annexures. It also contains Dispute Resolution mechanism, tracking systems of vehicles, bank guarantees, financial securities and many other important articles.
It is important to mention here that the government has reservation of the ATTA and it was reluctant to give further extension. But due to US pressure the Pakistani authorities come on the table with Afghan government to discuss matter of extension to the ATTA, that’s why, Pakistan and Afghanistan suddenly agreed to sign exchange of minutes of agreement. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reached Islamabad to attend the signing ceremony.
Prior to sign on the agreement, the Pakistani authorities were declining to sign such agreement saying that it is damaging to state's economy as it is leading to increase smuggling on Pak-Afghan border.
No comments:
Post a Comment