The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Commerce was informed on Thursday that 87% of the containers transporting commodities to the NATO and ISAF under transit facility did not have the legal status and the body summoned Defence Minister to brief the Committee on this issue on next meeting. The officials of the Defence Ministry and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) briefed the NA body on the legal and procedural arrangement governing NATO and ISAF transit facility. The Committee met under the chair of Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan. The Committee showed its concern on the issue that 87% of the containers did not have the legal status, as they were not transported with NATO and ISAF labels.
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NATO containers being carried to Afghanistan |
The Committee was informed that there was no monitoring mechanism for the containers traffic specifically meant for NATO and ISAF in Afghanistan. It was agreed in the meeting that there should be a monitoring mechanism consisting of concerned ministries to check the transit facility given to NATO and ISAF. The body was further informed that in 2002 during Musharaf era, Ministry of Defence Government of Pakistan signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Defence, UK on behalf of NATO and also it is obligatory for Pakistani government through UN Security Council resolution to facilitate the traffic of containers through their ports.
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