PESHAWAR - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KPCCI) has demanded the immediate launching of export cargo train from Peshawar to Karachi for the promotion of export from KP.
The demand was made by the chairman KPCCI's standing committee on Railways and Dry Port, Zia-ul-Haq Sahadi through a statement issued here Saturday.
He asked the Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Advisor to PM on Commerce Abdurazzaq Daud and Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan to play their due role for launching of the export cargo train service from the province.
In past, Goods in Transit Trade to Afghanistan (GITTA) was operating from Peshawar Cantonment Railways Station. But, since the year 2008, the service of export cargo train had remained suspended from Peshawar that had rendered thousands of people including customs clearing, forwarding and border agents and labourers unemployed.
He said that KP has vast reserves of gems, marble, handicrafts, honey, furniture, herbs, carpet and other exportable products while the largest number of safety match factories are also in the province.
But, despite these potentials and the closure of export cargo and goods train, lack of facilities and interests of the government machinery has turned the Peshawar Dry Port into a dead horse and the local exporters are having no other option than transporting their goods to Karachi through private trucks.
He further said that till 2008 nearly eleven passenger trains including Rail Car, Thal Express, Awam Express, Tez Ro, Lahore Passenger, Babo Train, Abbasin, Chinab, Khushal, Khyber Mail and Quetta Express were operating from Peshawar cantonment while presently the service of only Jaffar Express, Awam Express, Khushal Express, Khyber Mail and Quetta Express was still intact.
