ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan formally started discussions to consider further facilitations for traders of both side to promote bilateral trade.
Prior to delegation level talks, Commerce Ministers of both the countries held one on one meeting regarding the removal of hurdles hampering promotion of bilateral trade.
“Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir Khan held meeting with the Acting Afghan Commerce Minister Mozammil Shinwari at Afghan Ministry of Commerce in Kabul on first day of his visit to Afghanistan” a well placed source at Ministry of Commerce informed.
They also discussed the impediments in the smooth functioning of the existing Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) as well as proposed Pakistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan Trilateral Transit Agreement (PATTTA).
The discussions and deliberations between both the countries revolved around addressing the technical irritants and hurdles in the promotion of bilateral trade including customs tariff, establishment and provision of required infrastructure at land ports, clearance of transit trade carrying containers, attitude of law enforcing agencies towards trucks and containers staff, security of Pakistani transit goods and trucks and containers in Afghanistan while heading towards Central Asian Republics (CARs), visa facilitations, movement of suspected people, management at borders, as well as transportation of transit trade via railways along with needed infrastructure at Pakistani ports.
Both the ministers reviewed current volume of bilateral trade in the light of available statistics which stated that volume of bilateral trade had been fluctuating in last five years; lowest tune of bilateral trade was $ 1711 million in financial year 2009-2010 while the highest volume was $ 2509 million in financial year 2010-11.
Commerce Ministers expressed concerns over the decreasing trend of bilateral trade volume which was $2249 million in 2011-12 and reduced to $ 2354 million in the falling financial year and it further reduced to $ 2030 million in 2013-14.
The host minister pressed facilitation to each others’ commerce and trade sectors to help to further promote trade relation between the two countries as well as provision and exchange of list of traders in checking the smuggling of Pakistani goods to Central Asian states.
Presently, there are numerous irritants in the smooth functioning of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) because the transit trade facility established between the two countries has been abused by some of the elements involved in the whole process of the trading and resulted into a number of otherwise avoidable problems.
Prior to leaving for Afghanistan, Khurram Dastgir Khan took an updated report about the outcome of trilateral negotiations held in Dushanbe on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan Trilateral Transit Agreement (PATTTA) from the head of Pakistani delegation.
Three countries held talks on the draft finalized by the working group on trilateral transit trade agreement a last week. Minister’s visit has long been scheduled and postponed for a number of occasions due to some inevitable reasons.
Besides, technicalities related to promotion of bilateral trade especially transit trade both Commerce Ministers will also discussed possibilities of inking preferential trade agreement (PTA) between Pakistan and Afghanistan along with possible extension to other CARs.
The minister will hold meetings with the Afghan President Dr Ashraf Ghani, Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Afghan National Economic Advisor Omar Zakhilwal and Afghan Finance Minister Eklil Ahmed Hakimi.
