Pakistan on Tuesday banned the import of goods prone to smuggling to Afghanistan through its territory, as it made the import regime stringent in a decisive move to stop the damage inflicted on the national economy and the external sector because of the misuse of the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA).
The government took a host of measures, including a complete ban, imposition of a 10% fee on some other imports, and a new condition of bank guarantees equal to duties and taxes in order to ensure that Afghanistan goods reached their final destination. These guarantees could be encashed if the imported goods did not reach Kabul.
Islamabad has used its economic leverage against Kabul, marking a significant policy shift amid rising terror attacks on its soil.
To give effect to the new trade regime for Kabul, the commerce ministry and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued separate notifications.
