Pak, India may allow trade through cargo trucks

A Pakistani government official has said that Islamabad and New Delhi are expected to allow commercial cargo trucks of both countries to cross the Zero-Line at the Wagah Border to facilitate bilateral land route trade.

Islamabad, Aug 15 : A Pakistani government official has said that Islamabad and New Delhi are expected to allow commercial cargo trucks of both countries to cross the Zero-Line at the Wagah Border to facilitate bilateral land route trade.

The Daily Times quoted the official as saying that custom officials of both countries are likely to meet to negotiate the deal on crossing of the Zero-Line, and to allow trucks of both countries to enter the importing country.

The meeting is part of bilateral co-operation in customs matters and trade facilitation under the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) arrangement.

According to the source, officials are preparing customs cooperation modalities, which would be discussed at the proposed meeting.

If agreed upon, the Zero-Line crossing facility would not only facilitate land route trade between Pakistan and India, but would also help increase Afghan exports to India through Pakistani.

Currently, cargo trucks of both countries have to stop at the Zero-Line at the Wagah Border. Commercial goods are moved to the other side of the border through labourers. This process takes a long time, and some times exporters suffer losses due to damage to their products.

ANI