Islamabad:
The Permanent Committee of the Senate on Finance, on Wednesday, sent the issue of 600 Iranian trucks stranded on the Pakistan-Iran border-will be primens to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, recommending that the federal cabinet review the matter.
Iranian diplomats expressed concern that Pakistan’s imposition of a bank guarantee requirement in Iranian trucks has led to daily losses of $ 2.2 million.
During a meeting chaired by Senator Salem Mandviwalo in the Parliament of the House, the Iranian diplomats informed the committee that Pakistan had restored a bank guarantee requirement for Iranian trucks despite their elimination in a 2008 agreement.
The diplomat said that, although Pakistan has imposed the condition, Iran has not imposed such restriction on Pakistani trucks.
In addition, the application of this requirement has severely affected bilateral trade, reducing the number of Iranian trucks entering Pakistan from 600 to 400 for six months, and some drivers expect more than a month on the border.
The diplomat also emphasized that free circulation is a fundamental aspect of bilateral agreements, and reopening Rimdan’s crossing was essential to relieve border trade.
Senator Salem Mandviwalla said that Pakistan and Iran do trade through a barter system. However, complicated customs regulations have put transactions to a dead point.
Senator Farooq Naek firmly criticized the situation, describing it as revelation and misfortune, asking why foreign diplomats had to remember Pakistan how to manage their own commercial matters.
Expressing frustration for the country’s governance, he commented that no one seemed to be working in national interest.
Similarly, Senator Shibli Faraz accused the bureaucracy of creating obstacles instead of facilitating trade and criticized the Federal Income Board (FBR) for not helping merchants despite the accumulation of Iranian trucks.
Senator Anusha Rahman criticized Customs officials for creating unnecessary obstacles, arguing that she had turned customs into a personal business demanding documents beyond their authority and forcing merchants to bureaucratic avoidable.
In response, customs officials denied that the bank guarantee was affecting border trade, clarifying that Iranian trucks received authorization without such conditions.
They affirmed that the authorized goods in TAFTAN did not require a bank guarantee and accused Iranian merchants of trying to transport tax -free goods from Taftan to Quetta, which was against regulations.
The officials clarified that the bank guarantee requirement applied to bilateral trade, not the barter trade, and that third -party products could not enter Pakistan through the bartering system.
Subsequently, the panel decided to intensify the matter to the prime minister, urging the federal cabinet to intervene and resolve the crisis.
