Pakistan, Afghanistan to resolve visa, road permit issues

Will constitute a body consisting of representatives of relevant ministries

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and Afghanistan have decided to constitute a committee for discussing issues of visa, road permits and guarantees in order to apply the International Road Transport (TIR) convention to trade via land between the two countries.

The committee will comprise representatives of the Ministry of Transportation Afghanistan and the ministries of communication, railways and commerce of Pakistan. They will try to address the challenges related to their ministries that come in the way of implementing the TIR system.

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Both sides agreed to form the committee in a meeting of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority held in Islamabad last month.

“Islamabad and Kabul have finalised terms of reference for the committee and will soon share these with focal persons of the transit trade authority,” an official in the Ministry of Commerce told The Express Tribune.

According to the official, the two countries have faced some issues and complaints pertaining to visa, transport and transit trade and they have agreed on constituting the joint committee of the ministries concerned to address the challenges.

“These ministries have worked on recommendations for the terms of reference of the committee and these will be sent to the focal persons for consideration,” said the official.



In the transit trade authority meeting, Pakistan and Afghanistan also decided to run as a pilot project Afghan trucks from Torkham and Chaman up to Wagah border carrying Afghan goods for India and Pakistan trucks from Torkham and Chaman to Sher Khan Bandar on Tajikistan’s border.

On their return journey, Afghan trucks will also be allowed to carry Pakistani export products.

It was also agreed that the two countries would revise the transit trade coordination authority agreement in an effort to further facilitate transit trade and would adopt provisions of the TIR convention, which had been signed by both Pakistan and Afghanistan, to the extent possible.

According to the official, Pakistan is waiting for a draft of the amended transit trade agreement, which will be sent by the Afghan ministry of commerce.



Following last month’s meeting, things were moving in the right direction, the official said, adding there were still many challenges that needed to be met for enhancing annual bilateral trade to $5 billion.

Both sides have expressed their resolve that they will be able to achieve the ambitious target.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2016.

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