FBR Halts Afghan Transit Trade Via Karachi Ports

Abdullah Hussain (@Abdulla99267510) Published October 16, 2025 | 10:47 AM

Customs suspends Afghan transit transportation indefinitely as Quetta and Peshawar terminals reach full capacity.

KARACHI: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Oct,16, 2025) The Federal board of Revenue (FBR) has suspended Afghan transit trade transportation from Karachi ports until further notice.

According to officials, the decision was made during a high-level meeting chaired by the Director General of Afghan Transit Trade at the Directorate of Transit Trade Headquarters, Customs House Karachi. Directors from Quetta and Peshawar participated via Zoom.

Following the meeting, Customs General Order No. 98/2025 was issued, stating that the transportation of Afghan transit containers has been halted indefinitely due to a lack of space at the Quetta and Peshawar customs stations, where container yards are already full.

All terminals have been directed to offload containers already loaded on vehicles, cancel all gate passes, and suspend transportation until further notice.

As a result, Karachi Port and Port Qasim terminals have stopped clearance of Afghan transit trade shipments.

Customs sources reported that long queues of TP containers are lined up at the South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT), with hundreds of loaded containers awaiting clearance and many stranded en route to Quetta and Peshawar. Truck drivers are reportedly waiting for border routes to reopen.