ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Commerce Engineer Khuram Dastgir and Afghan Ambassador Janan Musa Wednesday reviewed development on the agreed points on Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between both the countries.
They also analysed the progress made by relevant ministries of the both the countries on agreed issues related to trilateral transit trade agreement including Pakistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan. A well-placed source privy to Commerce Minister told this scribe here on Wednesday that Afghan Ambassador Janan Musa held a detailed meeting with Minister for Commerce Engineer Khuram Dastgir and discussed issues pertaining to bilateral trade and other matters of mutual interest.
Both sides stressed on enhanced efforts to remove hurdles in transit trade” the source said adding that in their detailed discussion they also agreed to speed up the ongoing process for signing PTA between both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The source said that both the leaders also agreed to fix a timeline for reaching on the conclusion on this issue so that trading communities of both sides could be benefited from the fruits of PTA.
Despite the fact that relations, especially trade and commerce, between the two countries have been subject to various complexities over the past few decades, by various issues related, however, the two states are working together to find solutions to these problems” the source added saying that it included further enhancing the two-way trade and abolishment of visas for diplomats from the two nations.
“In July 2010, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was reached between Pakistan and Afghanistan for the Afghan-Pak Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) and in October 2010, the landmark APTTA agreement was signed which allows Afghan trucks to drive inside Pakistan to the Wagha Border with India, including to the port cities of Karachi and Gwadar,” the source recalled.
In July 2012, the source added that Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to extend APTTA to Tajikistan in what would be the first step for the establishment of a North-South trade corridor. “The proposed agreement will provide facilities to Tajikistan to use Pakistan’s Gwadar and Karachi ports for its imports and exports while Pakistan will enjoy trade with Tajikistan under terms similar to the transit arrangement with Afghanistan,” the source observed.
The source said that both the Minister for Commerce and Afghan ambassador also agreed to further strengthen bilateral trade and economic relations by addressing bottlenecks in way of promoting trade and investment between the two countries. The source said that Afghanistan was the largest trading partner of Pakistan and bilateral trade of both countries had crossed $ 2 billion mark during the year 2014 which would be further enhanced during the days to come. “To address issues in trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan Federal Board of Revenue has suggested for electronic data sharing (EDI) as well as web-box besides providing training to Afghan officials which is expected to enable the both sides to facilitate the businessmen for the promotion of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the source added.
The source recalled that PTA between Pakistan and Afghanistan was also discussed during Afghan’s President visit to Pakistan adding that it was expected that trade experts of two-countries would play their role for early completion of the modalities of PTA to enhance commercial connectivity between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The source said that Afghan Ambassador urged the need for starting economic strategic dialogue to develop political and economic confidence between the two countries as well as regular interaction of trading communities of both countries which would boost up the confidence and promote the bilateral trade and investment.
