Afghanistan trade with Pakistan falls, but grows with Iran

Businessmen urge army chief to step up trade-boosting initiatives

KARACHI: The Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) has urged leadership of Pakistan to take notice of weakening bilateral trade between the two neighbours due to different disputes.

"Recent data shows that Afghanistan's trade with Iran is growing but its trade with Pakistan is declining and it should be a cause for concern," said PAJCCI Chairman Zubair Motiwala in a statement following the eighth executive committee meeting in Karachi.

PAJCCI Co-chairman Khan Jan Alokozai and executive committee members were present in the meeting.

They voiced hope that the recent visit of Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to Afghanistan would bridge mistrust and increase trade between the two countries.

Motiwala asked Bajwa to step up new initiatives and suggested that PAJCCI could act as a joint platform for illustrating sentiments of the business community from across the border.



"The trip of Pakistan's army chief to Kabul has rekindled hopes in Afghanistan," Alokozai commented.

A high-level delegation from Afghanistan, headed by Alokozai, is currently visiting Pakistan to participate in the ongoing four-day Expo Pakistan 2017 at the Karachi Expo Centre.

The delegation was the second largest amongst international groups from 25 countries, which reflected the bond between business communities of both countries.

"This should be a realisation for both governments that political considerations should always follow economic imperatives and not the otherwise," the statement said.

The delegates reiterated that Pak-Afghan trade should be separated from political and military tensions, though strong security measures were vital for stability and sustainability of both the countries.



They emphasised that Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority should meet immediately and for its efficacy PAJCCI members from the private sector should be given representation in the forum.

Visa regime in both countries should be improved by introducing categories like business visa and visit visa. For business visa, a PAJCCI recommendation letter should be made mandatory, so that it could authenticate the process and remove the irritants, the statement said.