Pakistan has allowed import of bulk shipments of food items through Gwadar port for transit to Afghanistan to help Kabul maintain food supply while coping with the fallout of the Covid-19 outbreak, a Pakistani official said.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, subsequent lockdown and closure of the western border of Pakistan, more than 10,000 Afghan transit trade containers have been either stranded at Karachi ports, en-route to the border stations, or awaiting clearance at the border stations of Chaman and Torkham.
Under special permission, the government has resumed handling of Afghan cargo at Gwadar port under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement-2010 which will help in early clearance and quicker transportation of sugar, wheat, and fertiliser to Afghanistan.
Unlike containers, these cargoes will be transported in sealed trucks to Afghanistan. Moreover, the cargoes coming from the Middle East will have a shorter distance to the Gwadar port.
