Pakistan eases import process for Afghan traders

In a bid to facilitate trade activities, the Pakistan government has granted a temporary waiver of the Electronic Import Form (EIF) for Afghanistan.

The move was decided during an Afghanistan Inter-Ministerial Coordination Cell (AICC) meeting that was attended by Pakistan’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq and other high-ranking Pakistani officials.

According to Pakistan media, the waiver, initially granted for 45 days, comes as compliance with the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan to assist Afghanistan in addressing the impending humanitarian and economic crisis.

As EIFs were not being issued by the corresponding banks to execute transactions for imports, this led to a situation with long queues of cargo vehicles being stuck at Torkham and Chaman border crossings, Pakistan’s Business Recorder reported.

However, now with the introduction of the new measures, imports from Afghanistan will be possible without the mandatory requirement of Electronic Import Form (EIF) as required by the State Bank of Pakistan.

The new initiative will come as a huge relief for Afghan traders and will help to immediately clear hundreds of cargo trucks currently stuck at various border crossings due to the non-availability of EIF.

The decision comes after a visit by Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf to Kabul late last month to establish national level coordination mechanisms to enhance ties and trade between the two countries. Yusuf also heads up the newly formed Afghanistan Inter-Ministerial Coordination Cell.