Karachi:
Pakistani authorities are facing a major problem of clogging at two sea ports. The Karachi port and the Bin Qasim terminal, also at Karachi, are being occupied by the stranded supplies after the government said it would not allow transit to NATO supplies following the Mohmand air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
According to a
Dawn newspaper report since the embargo was imposed after the November 26 attack in Mohmand agency, four container ships and two vehicle carriers have unloaded around 2,000 boxes and 1200 military vehicles at the two sea ports. The report claims they have been stranded at the ports for over two weeks.
"Since November 26th two vehicle carriers unloaded 400 and 800 military vehicles belonging to the US army," the report said.
It said before the embargo was imposed, already over 600 containers and oil tankers were to go to Afghanistan via Torkham and Chaman. These containers and tankers too are now stranded at the border as the government has not allowed them to cross the border.
"They are there for 16-days now in the chilly and cold weather," a port source said.
Sources said that security forces have also held back scores of Afghan transit trade containers on the way to Afghanistan on the suspicion of carrying NATO goods at Takhta Beg checkpost in Jamrud, Afghanistan.
The report said that if the large number of NATO containers and tankers were not removed soon from the two ports, there will hardly be any space left for the movement of commercial cargo and this would badly affect the country's imports and exports.
"There is a daily flow of containers coming with goods booked by merchants from the China market," one source said.
The report said that since ports are meant to be transit points and not for storage, the government would have to immediately decide on the removal of the containers from ports that have clogged up traffic and trade.
Three days back unidentified gunmen set on fire 42 NATO containers and oil tankers in Quetta in the Balochistan province.