ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani delegation will travel to Kabul on Monday to promote trade and people to people ties with Afghanistan, a top Pakistani official said on Sunday.
In a statement via social media, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch said that Commerce Secretary Khurram Agha will travel to Kabul on Monday on a two-day official visit. The spokesperson added that Islamabad is committed to promote trade and people-to-people ties with Kabul. She further said that Commerce Secretary Khurram Agha will discuss trade related ties with Afghan authorities during his stay in Kabul.
Pak-Afghan Trade Ties
Traders and their leaders expressed hope that the trade talks will be useful for the both sides. Coordinator Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi said that Pakistan and Afghanistan should take more steps to improve trade ties in order to facilitate traders of the two sides. He said that it will be a win-win situation for the two sides if hurdles in bilateral trade removed.
Officials in Pakistan said that it took a series of steps included the addition of certain items to the negative list, the implementation of 100% bank guarantees, and other regulatory actions in October 2023 to stop the misuse of Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) facility. Islamabad said that these steps are necessary to stop the misuse of the Afghan Transit Trade facility, quoting a substantial increase in Afghan imports via transit trade during the 2022-23. Officials in Pakistan said that Afghan Transit Trade was being exploited for smuggling goods and these steps aimed to fix this issue and also ensure the proper working of the transit trade system while curbing unlawful actions. On the other hand, Afghan authorities said that such actions led to reduction in trade through its borders.
