Traders, businessmen must remain apolitical for Pak-Afghan trade to flourish

Afghan trade delegation members lay bare hurdles in bilateral trade relations

ISLAMABAD: To boost bilateral trade between the two neighbouring countries, it is imperative that the traders and businesspeople on both sides of the border put politics aside while officials must be persuaded to facilitate economic activities between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This was suggested by members of an eight-member Afghan Delegation on Trade and Commerce during a roundtable discussion on “Pak-Afghan Bilateral Trade and Future Developments’. The roundtable had been organised by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in Islamabad on Tuesday.

“Let us get start working together to carve out a better future for the [up] coming generation,” said Noor Agha Ebrahimee, who is heading the delegation.

He added that politics and economics cannot go hand in hand and that traders and businessmen must remain apolitical.

“Love increases with visits and counter-visits, so sometimes you visit and sometimes I will visit you, my beloved,” Ebrahimee stated while quoting a famous Pashto.



He added that the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan was multidimensional since it was not just one between two neighbours but one of common history, culture, language, interests, and many other similarities.

The Afghan delegation members discussed trade-related problems, including customs valuation, bonded carriers, regulatory duties, high transit fees, quarantines and visa issues faced by Afghan businessmen amid their engagement with Pakistan.

Some argued that this also negatively impacts Pakistan’s trade figures as well because it forces Afghan traders to look for other trading options where they are better facilitated.

They said that both sides know that Afghanistan and Pakistan are the best markets for each other in all aspects.

Having already met with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Afghan delegation said that the Pakistani side was working vigorously to resolve all trade impediments.

They also asked the Afghan delegation to propose some recommendations in this regard to help devise tangible solutions.

Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) President Rizwana Asif expressed pleasant surprise upon learning that Afghanistan also has a counterpart organization and offered to host its members.

Kabul’s Bright Business Complex Managing Director Khalid Stanikzai invited Pakistani investors to set-up industries in Afghanistan, whether on the basis of sole proprietorship or in partnership with Afghan businessmen.

He assured that Afghan trade groups, networks etc. would assist Pakistanis regarding legal issues on the Afghan soil.

Irum Mumtaz, who was representing the Rawalpindi Women Chambers and Commerce and Industry, stated that there is a need for greater contact and information sharing between the business community of the two countries, followed by bridging the supply and demand side of trading.

Later, she suggested that these networks can be consolidated across the border to build trust and improve bilateral trade relations. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2019.