Improving Customs Transit Systems
In the Islamic Countries
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Transit to Afghanistan through Pakistan is governed by the APTTA agreement which details the
ports, routes, transport modes, and customs transit procedures. It marks the beginning of an
agreement that allows Afghanistan to access Pakistan’s seaports for foreign trade and Pakistan
to penetrate the Central Asian markets transiting Afghanistan. In 2010, the two countries signed
the APTTA agreement that became operational in June 2011, to facilitate the movement of goods
through their respective territories and take all necessary measures to ensure the efficient
administration of transit transport. The agreement included several provisions including, but
not limited to, the following;
 Removal of unnecessary delays in the movement of goods and commercial vehicles
transiting through the two countries;
 Working towards the simplification, transparency, and harmonization of
documentation and procedures relevant to traffic in transit;
 Cooperation with a view to minimizing the incidence of customs fraud and avoidance.
Protocol Three of the APTTA Agreement entitled “Customs Control and Transit Regime” details
several provisions that aim to limit the number of documents, simplify customs procedures and
ensure that all obligations to the customs administrations of Pakistan and Afghanistan are
satisfied. The section also outlines rules to develop a knowledge-sharing environment of mutual
administrative assistance between the countries. Communications between Customs
authorities advocated in subsection 4 of this protocol include instantaneous notification of any
suspicions in Good Declaration (GDs) documents, authenticity of container seals, ensuring a
Customs to Customs information sharing platform by setting up an electronic interface,
establishing a hotline and joint customs controls at entry and exit points with mutual
consent36106. In addition to these, the stipulated procedures call for a partnership between the
contracting parties to report accidents, inaccuracies in transit operations and clearance
documents (both transit and inland) to prevent repetitive irregularities in operations.
The most important treaty is the Quadrilateral Agreement for transit in traffic was signed among
the Governments of the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of
Kazakhstan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on March 1995. The agreement came into force
in May 2004 advocating the seamless movement of goods within the region and allowing
vehicles with valid documents (permits, registration, etc.) to enter and perform transit
operations in the territories of the contracting parties. The agreed border posts and land route
covered in the agreement include the following BCPs107:
106 APTTA 2010 Section VII, Article 21
107