Clearing agents demand facilities at Torkham

LANDI KOTAL, May 2: Clearing agents at the Torkham border have demanded of the government to provide them with basic facilities, ensure speedy clearance of export goods to Afghanistan, and repair the Peshawar-Torkham Highway, which is in poor shape. Nasir Khan, president, Torkham Customs Clearing Agents Association, in a statement on Monday said the early closure of a National Bank booth and slow clearing process at the customs offices was seriously hampering the speedy export of Pakistani goods to Afghanistan via Torkham. He demanded that instead of a booth, a full fledged National Bank branch be immediately made operational at the border to cater to the ever increasing demand of the local clearing agents. He lamented that the staff at the bank booth left early due to security concerns which also resulted in leaving their clearing process half way most of the time. Nasir Khan also demanded of the concerned authorities to restore the PTCL service to Torkham and provide DSL service to their offices for speedy correspondence with concerned quarters. He said most of his colleagues were forced to use the services of Afghan mobile companies due to absence of PTCL service and unreliable Pakistani mobile service. About 300 PTCL lines went dead some four years back when torrential rain washed away a major portion of the PTCL cable near the Torkham border. Since then concerned authorities have not bothered to restore the service thus causing inconvenience to hundreds of local traders, customs clearing agents and government officials. —Correspondent