ISLAMABAD: Federal Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan has said that Pakistan desired to set up port infrastructure along Pak-Afghan border to manage goods and human traffic.
“Pak-Afghan border cannot be left unmanaged. We are introducing port infrastructure to manage traffic and legalise trade between the two countries,” he said in a private news channel programme.
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The minister said tensions on Pak-Afghan border were affecting bilateral relations as well as trade. “If this border is properly managed, it will boost trade and help keep record of across the border movement of goods and human beings,” he observed. He said tens of thousands of people crossed the Pak-Afghan border daily, and there was a need for keeping the record as to who comes in and who goes out.
Answering a question about Pakistan’s policy on Afghanistan, Dastgir said, “Pakistan is pursuing the policy of non-interference in Afghanistan. Since, the PML-N has come to power, it has decided not to interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs and it was manifested during Afghan general elections.”
He further stated that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Advisor to PM on Foreign Affairs and Chief of Army Staff visited Afghanistan several times, and made them believe that Pakistan would prefer that Afghans own the initiatives like dialogue with Taliban and other measures for restoring peace.
He also mentioned initiation of security dialogue and cooperation between intelligence agencies of both the countries, but added that perhaps Afghans were under the impression that Taliban were fully under Pakistan’s control, and it would bring them to dialogue table.
