ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan has decided to upgrade the Torkham, Wagah and Chaman border crossings to the standards of European border crossings to enable greater and faster transit trade from neighbouring and regional countries.
The Asian Development Bank will provide a $150m grant as technical assistance for this project to the FBR and this will change Pakistan into a regional trade hub.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has set up a high-powered steering committee headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to expand strong trade relations with neighbours and focus on regional markets.
The committee includes representatives of ministries of foreign affairs, defence, communications, railways, finance, interior and economic affairs.
New designs and lay out options are proposed in Road Boarder Crossing points of Wagah, Torkham and Chaman crossings.
The committee has decided to construct world-class infrastructures and install equipment of latest technology at three border points to quicken imports, exports and transit process. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has directed all stakeholders and relevant departments to speed up processing of the project.
Torkham is one of the major border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan, located on the Durand Line border. It connects Nangarhar province of Afghanistan with Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the busiest port of entry between the two countries, serving as a major transporting, shipping, and receiving site.
Internews
