Pakistan: terrorist incident hits exports
Exporters in Pakistan have again been hit by terrorism after several international airlines decided to suspend cargo shipments from Pakistan following the May 8 bombing in Karachi when 11 French citizens were killed.
Air France was the first to suspend its cargo flights to Pakistan along with Singapore Airlines. German carrier Lufthansa Cargo sent a circular to exporters, including leather garments manufacturers, saying that due to security reasons a 24-hour cooling period would be initiated for all shipments from Pakistan with immediate effect.
Air France had only resumed normal service to Pakistan in March of this year after suspending flights following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.
Farrukh Shaikh, former chairman of the Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) and a leading leather garment exporter, confirmed that exports to Europe would be adversely affected by the situation. He said he was concerned that export shipments would be delayed by Lufthansa's policy because the carrier does not have daily flights. A 24-hour delay could therefore mean the cargo being held up for up to three or four days.
