Khyber   -   Temporary Admission Documents (TAD) policy for transporters was implemented at both sides of the Torkham border on Thursday, aiming to streamline and regulate the movement of cargo vehicles carrying bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a customs official said.

In 2019, when Covid-19 affected the world, the Pakistani border authorities restricted the exit and entry of conductors in trucks, allowing only drivers to carry on the trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, last month, the TAD treaty signed between Pakistan and Afghanistan permitted crossing in or out of the border along with crew members after registration.

A customs official in Torkham stated that under the Pak-Afghan agreement signed last month, TAD has become compulsory for export and import carriers’ trucks. The deadline for compliance has been extended twice to facilitate the transport community, but the transporter community has given it little importance.

As per the direction of higher authorities, without TAD, no vehicle will be permitted to cross either side of the border; however, transit goods carriers’ vehicles are exempt from this policy, the official added. The implementation of the TAD policy has compounded the difficulties faced by the transport community, leading to a halt in the clearing process and the export and import of merchandise commodities via Torkham, according to transporters and clearing agents.

President of the Transport Union at Torkham, Haji Azeemullah, noted that hundreds of drivers from both countries had submitted their applications for the TAD. However, the slow pace of issuing TADs by the Pakistani and Afghan embassies and consulates has deprived many of obtaining the necessary documents.

According to the official announcement, applications for the TAD for Afghanistan-registered vehicles will be collected on all working days at the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul and the Pakistan Consulate in Kandahar, while applications for TAD from Pakistan-registered trucks will be collected on all working days at the Afghanistan Consulate Generals in Quetta and Peshawar.

The introduction of this new policy has resulted in long queues of export and import-loaded trucks parked on both sides of the border due to the lack of TAD, disrupting routine local traffic, residents have complained.