ISLAMABAD: A two-day session of the Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission started on Monday and will conclude on Tuesday. The JEC is expected to cover all matters, including economy, trade, bilateral issues, highways and railways projects, scholarship schemes for Afghan students as well as potential joint ventures in various other sectors.
In this regard, a high level Afghan delegation has arrived here in the federal capital to take part in the session. It will be the 10th session of the Pak-Afghan Economic Commission, which was scheduled to be held in August this year.
However, Afghanistan refused to participate in a meeting of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) at the last minute as relations with Pakistan were at the lowest ebb after outburst by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani against Islamabad.
Then Afghan Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi conveyed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar about his government’s decision to call off the JEC meeting just before his plane was scheduled to take off for Islamabad, a well-placed official source at the Finance Ministry told Customs Today.
The source said that in the preliminary session, JEC would review implementation status of decisions taken at the last Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission meeting last year.
“Representatives from Economic Affairs Division involving Commerce / FBR, Planning and Development, Communications, Housing and Works, Inter Provincial Coordination, Railways, Petroleum and Natural Resources, Water and Power, Ministry of Ports and Shipping and National Food Security will present their presentations on important bilateral matters” the source added.
The source said that enhancement of bilateral trade and economic cooperation would be the main focus of the Pak-Afghan JEC being held in about a week’s time.
