ISLAMABAD - The Nato containers would not be charged for using Pakistan’s land route to transport logistical supplies to the Western military alliance in Afghanistan while Islamabad has taken a ‘flight’ from drones, a key document on ‘refined’ Pak-US relationship reveals.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formally finalised the other day following cabinet’s approval, the Nato containers carrying fuel, food items and other non-military ground supplies would not have to pay any customs duty, clearance charges or transit fee for using Pakistan’s land route.
This ostensibly confirms that the transit fee of $ 250 Pakistan had earlier charged on each Nato container is officially waived while the same is being charged on the commercial containers carrying trading goods under the umbrella of Afghan Transit Trade (ATT). Any relevant details are not specified in this regard.
Drafted and finalised by Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), the MoU assigns the defence ministry the role of Central Coordinating Authority (CCA) vis-à-vis Pak-US strategic ties with particular reference to the entire scenario evolving the transportation of Nato supplies from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Reportedly, the MoU lacks a mention of drone strikes in Pakistan’s north western tribal region as reported in this newspaper a number of times. Federal Minister for Defence Syed Naveed Qamar, when approached on Thursday, declined to share the specific details of the draft saying that the same would be made public ‘in due course of time.’ He, however, lauded the role of Pakistan’s MoD, Foreign Office, Federal Cabinet and military leadership for jointly preparing what he termed as ‘a roadmap to move on’ and ‘gateway to progress.’ “The contents of this draft shall be publicly shared in due course of time. I think sharing the classified details before anything is formally taken up and signed with Washington would be too early. It’s not the right time to do so.” The minister hoped that Pakistan and the US would soon reach an agreement on the MoU. “I personally believe this document is a roadmap to move on. It’s a gateway to progress. I hope both the sides would play their part to reach a mutual agreement on the MoU. It’s in the vital interest of the two states as well as Afghanistan.” On the other hand, some important contents of the draft shared with this newspaper apparently point to certain ambiguities, vague contentions and visible loopholes in it. The document obligates the Afghan-bound commercial cargos to pay ‘charges’ without making any specifications if the already existing transit charges of $ 250 on containers moving under ATT would continue or customs duties would be levied afresh.
TheNation on the last July 6 had reported that Pakistan had abolished transit fee of $ 250 on the Nato containers while the same was collected from the shipments carrying commercial goods to Afghanistan under ATT.
The MoU ‘prohibits’ the transport of military items to NATO from Pakistan to Afghanistan but allows the transportation of ammunition and weaponry to Afghan security forces and agencies including National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP). This ‘relaxation’ appears as suggestive to Pakistan’s policy of covertly allowing the military equipment transportation to the Nato on the pretext of providing ammunition to Afghan security forces. The modalities for ‘strict’ surveillance and enhanced scrutiny (if any), of the NATO containers, as repeatedly claimed by the Pakistani security officials, are also missing in the MoU, according to informed officials. Previously, the defence ministry-drafted five key reported agreements had envisaged strict check on the Nato shipments including proposed measures to unlock the containers seals and offloading the supplies in case the security officials smelled any foul play. Pakistan Customs, Frontier Corps (FC), Levies Force respective political administrations and related provincial departments were proposed to be delegated enhanced powers in this regard. But the proposal did not look materialised altogether.
Furthermore, the condition of issuing No Objection Certificates (NOC) to the NATO containers after customs and security clearance has also been waived in the draft MoU, officials said. The NOCs were previously issued following due approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Finance (Federal Board of Revenue, Pakistan Customs), Ministry of Interior and the provincial governments concerned. 
The draft MoU ‘allows’ the transportation of humanitarian supplies both under the NATO supplies as well as the ATT. The humanitarian supplies include edible items and medical aid kits exempted from transit free imposed on the ATT containers.
The deputy commissioner Killa Abdullah in Balochistan and political agent Khyber Agency- Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are assigned as focal persons for the NATO containers using respective routes from Pakistan to Afghanistan via Balochistan and KP, the draft details reveal. Two standard routes specified in the MoU include Karachi-Chaman (Kila Abdullah Balochistan) and Karachi-Torkham (Khyber Agency Fata)
Informed officials quoted the document as mentioning that the Memorandum of Understanding has been drafted in the light of United Nations charter but does not specify the related UN charter provisions cited as bases to this effect. The draft also reportedly mentions of incorporating the recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) on redefining Pak-US strategic relationship and parliament’s resolution on the NATO supplies blockade. 
Enhanced border military cooperation between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Nato is reported to have been tentatively mentioned in the document for the ‘removal of misunderstandings.’