First trucks carrying goods from Russia arrive in Pakistan after oil cargoes

Islamabad: The first truck carrying export goods from Russia has arrived in Pakistan, making it the first road trade route established between the two countries.

The export of goods via road comes days after Islamabad received a second cargo of discounted crude oil from Moscow.

The consignment carrying pulses, chickpeas and other goods entered Pakistan via the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the weekend. “The two vehicles were allowed to proceed to their destination in Pakistan after clearance from customs authorities at Torkham,” Pakistani officials said.

Best Trans Pvt. Ltd. handled the logistics for the shipment, and the truck was driven by a Russian driver.

A small inaugural ceremony was held at the National Logistic Cell (NLC) Terminal, Torkham to welcome the arrival of the first consignment and establishment of the first road trade route between Pakistan and Russia.

The Russian Embassy in Islamabad said that the “trade between Russia and Pakistan grew by almost 50% and amounted to more than $760 million” by May 2023. The embassy said that the first truck of goods reached Pakistan from Russia under the Transport International Routes (TIR) Convention.

The United Nations TIR, the only global transit system, enables easy, secure and reliable movement of goods across borders in sealed load compartments under a robust mechanism. Under the system, trucks use one single international guarantee and the customs formalities take place at the origin and destination rather than at each border crossing. Pakistan became a member of the TIR Convention in 2017.

While Pakistan had previously engaged in trade under the TIR Convention with Central Asian republics, the recent consignment marks the first delivery from Russia to cross the border following the bilateral treaty. The local business community is hopeful about the ongoing trade with Moscow through the land route and believes that this trade continuation will contribute to strengthening Pakistan’s economy and benefits local businesses.

Last month, a consignment of 21 trucks transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Central Asian states arrived in Pakistan via the Torkham border crossing. Pakistan has signed agreements to import petroleum products from Russia, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to address the energy needs, according to Muhammad Ashfaq, a customs official in Torkham. In June 2023, Pakistan sent its first transit consignment to Kazakhstan via the historic Silk Route, strengthening trade ties under the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA), which was signed between Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.