The Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA) has lauded the government's decision to permit air transport of goods between Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying that it will lessen the challenges encountered by exporters and importers.

In a joint statement, however, PCMEA Senior Vice Chairman Usman Ashraf, Carpet Training Institute Chairperson Pervez Hanif, PCMEA Senior Central Leader Abdul Latif Malik, Senior Member Riaz Ahmed, Major (Rtd) Akhtar Nazir, Ejazur Rehman, Shahid Hasan, and Akbar Malik have called for the removal of barriers to commercial transport through the Torkham border.

They said that the raw materials for Pakistan's handmade carpet industry are half finished, but transporting these items from Afghanistan across the Torkham border is extremely difficult owing to obstacles and challenges.

They applauded the Federal Board of Revenue for the multimodal air-land route for Afghanistan. But they added, "there is a demand from the government to give relief in freight charges for imported raw materials and finished products for the export sectors so that it can compete with other countries in the global markets." They said that in order for the government to get foreign exchange, the State Bank's rigorous export regulations needed to be relaxed.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk