Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has suspended cargo transportation under the Afghan transit trade from Karachi ports, directing terminals to halt all ongoing operations and offload containers already loaded onto vehicles, The News reported.
The decision followed a meeting at the Directorate of Transit Trade Headquarters in Karachi, chaired by the Director General (DG) Afghan Transit Trade, with participation from the directors of Afghan Transit Quetta and Peshawar via Zoom.
After the meeting, a Customs General Order (CGO) was issued, stating that the suspension was necessary as customs stations in Quetta and Peshawar had reached full capacity and could not handle additional consignments.
“All port terminals have been instructed to offload containers loaded for Afghan transit trade, cancel gate passes, and stop transportation activities,” the order said.
Clearance operations for Afghan transit trade at Karachi Port and Port Qasim have been suspended until further notice.
According to customs officials, long queues of transit containers have formed at South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT), with hundreds of loaded trucks waiting to proceed. Several other shipments remain stranded en route to Quetta and Peshawar, while drivers await the reopening of the route.
