ISLAMABAD: All is set for two-day meeting of Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority (APTTCA) starting from Thursday (today) at the federal capital. Secretary Commerce and Afghan Acting Minister for Commerce will co-chair the meeting to discuss issues pertaining to bilateral trade as well as to overcome the impediments in this regards.
The APTTCA was formed in 2011 when both Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed that the chairmanship of the authority would be held by both the countries simultaneously. Pakistan nominated secretary commerce, while Afghanistan nominated the deputy minister of commerce and industries while business communities of both countries were also given representation. Then it was decided that APTTCA would meet every six months on a rotational basis in Afghanistan and Pakistan and all meeting-related expenses would be borne by the host country
A well-placed source at Ministry of Commerce (MoC) told Customs Today here on Wednesday that Afghan delegation would arrive today to participate in the meeting while MoC had finalised all the arrangements for the meeting.
“Besides, MoC, higher officials from Ministries including Finance and Revenue, Railways, Communications, Ports and Shipping and others will also participate in the meeting and present issues relevant to their respective ministries before the participants,” the source said, adding that all these ministries were very much related to bilateral trade and wanted to resolve problems confronted by their officials in this regards.
“The MoC is parent ministry working for enhancement of bilateral trade with Afghanistan and playing a role of facilitator for the organisation of the meeting while above said ministries and their subsidiary departments were executing and implementing agencies of the proposals for the said purpose,” the source added
When asked about the issues possibly to be raised by different ministries in the meeting, the source said that Finance Ministry and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had some issues related to customs, rate of customs and others which would be resolved at customs to customs level.
“Similarly, if Railways becomes operational, it can earn a handsome revenue from the transportation of transit trade goods as well as Ministry of Communications will have also to play an important role in the execution of plan of action for transportation of trade goods by improving the state of road infrastructure in the country,” the source added, saying that Ports and Shipping Ministry would also have to develop ports by improving the existing network of facilities at ports.
However, the source said that the most crucial concerns were related to the Ministry of Interior which were related to narcotics trafficking as well as border management by civil armed forces and these issues perhaps would dominate the entire proceedings of the meeting because a sub-committee on choking funds for terrorist and terror networks had declared narcotics trafficking as major source of funding for terror organizations.
To a question about possible recommendations from MoC at the meeting, the source said that Commerce Ministry would press for a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Afghanistan as well as transit trade facility along with security for both Pakistani trade goods and traders to the Central Asian Republics (CARs).
On January 3, the source said that both the Pakistani and Afghan delegates would join heads for talks on trilateral Afghanistan-Pakistan-Tajikistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
The source said that all three countries were keen to sign APTTTA for the sake of regional trade which was being marooned due to some flaws and deficiencies in the APTTA which came into force between Afghanistan and Pakistan on June 12, 2010 and allows Afghan trucks to carry Afghan products to the huge markets of India and China as well as the rest of the world through the seaports of Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar.
“Both Pakistan and Afghanistan need transit trade agreement to export their goods to other countries” the source said adding that it was not possible without overcoming issues related to APTTA like lack of facilities for goods trucks, unavailability of Web Based One Customs network, non linkages or working relations between insurance companies as well as difference of weight (tonnage) and absence of Web Based One Customs
“If the APTTA is implemented with true letter and spirit, bilateral as well as trilateral trade volume can be increased by many times,” the source added, saying that during the recent visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani both sides agreed to facilitate goods trucks and to clear containers in maximum two days.
