Customs clearing agents protest at Pakistan’s Torkham

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 29 (ANI): A protest sit-in at Torkham by the customs clearing agents, transporters and traders continued for the second day on Friday to press for the acceptance of their demands, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported.

Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper.
As per the protestors, the sit-in started against unnecessary impediments in smooth flow of bilateral trade with Afghanistan.

The protestors demanded manual clearance of Afghan transit goods, exemption of vehicles carrying multiple retail items from Pakistan to Afghanistan from examination, permanent repair of the electronic scanning machine, expeditious customs clearing process and better management of vehicular traffic at the border, according to Dawn.

They threatened to stop the clearance of all types of export and import goods if their demands were not met immediately.

Meanwhile, Pakistani security personnel recently detained 22 Afghan nationals during raids in several parts of Torkham, including the Bacha Mena border area, Khaama Press reported.

The police said they have detained Afghan citizens living in Pakistan without legal documents. According to the police, the people who have been arrested will be presented before the court on Monday.

The police said that the raids were carried out in the Torkham market and the Bacha Mena border area due to several robberies, according to Khaama Press.