Pakistani customs officials told Afghanistan International that the auction of transit containers belonging to Afghan traders has been suspended. Arfan Javed, a senior official at the agency, emphasized that talks with merchants to determine the deadline for storing goods in the ports are ongoing. The Pakistani customs official denied reports that the auction of Afghan commercial cargo had begun, telling Afghanistan International that the agency had suspended the process after repeated requests from Afghan traders. Earlier, the media reported that Pakistan auctioned off hundreds of containers carrying goods from Afghan traders at the port of Karachi. Taxes and high maintenance costs were cited as the main reasons for the auction.

Pakistani customs officials told Afghanistan International that the auction of transit containers belonging to Afghan traders has been suspended. Arfan Javed, a senior official at the agency, emphasized that talks with merchants to determine the deadline for storing goods in the ports are ongoing. The Pakistani customs official denied reports that the auction of Afghan commercial cargo had begun, telling Afghanistan International that the agency had suspended the process after repeated requests from Afghan traders. Earlier, the media reported that Pakistan auctioned off hundreds of containers carrying goods from Afghan traders at the port of Karachi. Taxes and high maintenance costs were cited as the main reasons for the auction.