Impact of Fencing upon Pak-Afghan Bilateral [Un] Declared Land Trade Routes: District Kurram

DOI:10.5281/zenodo.8116780

Abstract

The study attempts at assessing impact of fencing upon Pak-Afghan bilateral, both, undeclared and declared, trade via land routes, connecting District Kurram with vilayat (province) of Paktia, Ningahar and Khost of Afghanistan. It documents land trade in terms of volume and revenue prior to fencing. Government of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, under Articles 9 and 10 of ‘The Customs Act’, 1969, notified four (4) bilateral land trade routes: Shahidano Dand, Kharlachi, Borki and Peiwar Kotal. To begin with, the local traders urge the Government of Pakistan to: introduce tax policy at Kharlachi, similar to that of Chaman, Torkham and Spinboldak land trade routes; Notifiy Shorki, an undeclared land route, located in lower Kurram, a declared bilateral trade route. Moreover, to notify Kot Ragh, a land route located in Upper Kurram, closer to Jaji maidan in Afghanistan to conduct bilateral, declared trade.  Earlier, for decades, traders have been resenting control of Frontier Corps/Constabulary (FC), Pak-Army over trade at Kharlachi and demanded handing over control to the Civilian authorities. It is high time, that Board notifies undeclared land trade routes, including Spinna Shagga and Sursurang, located in upper Kurram,used earlier for illegal drug trade, as declared land routes to bring them in the ambit of legal/Formal trade.