Removal of obstacles urged to boost Pak-Afghan trade

Panelists here at seminar on ‘Pak-Afghan Bilateral Trade’ underscored the bottlenecks which were hampering mutual trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan and called upon Islamabad and Kabul to devise a joint mechanism to remove hurdles in order to carry out smooth trade between the two neighbouring countries.

The speakers suggested restoration of one customs system in order to facilitate traders on both sides of the border. They urged the government to retain cash in the counter facility. The participants called for rationalizing tariffs and duties on exporting items to enhance bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

They also urged the National Logistic Cell (NLC) to simplify export procedures at the border to facilitate the business community. This was the crux of a seminar on Pak-Afghan Bilateral Trade, jointly organised by Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Pakistan Trade Development Authority (TDAP) in collaboration with Customs and NLC here at the chamber house on Wednesday.

The seminar was chaired by SCCI president Hasnain Khurshid Ahmad and Director General TDAP Shahzad, Director Sabz Ali Khan, Assistant Director, Zahid Muhammad, Afghan Commercial Attaché in Peshawar Fawad Arash, representative of NCL Col A Sattar, Additional Collector Customs Shahid Khan.Commercial Consul of Pakistan in Kabul, Asif Khan participated in the seminar through video link from Afghanistan.

Besides, the chamber senior vice president Imran Khan Mohmand, vice president Javed Akhtar, former SVPs Engineer Manzoor Elahi, Shahid Hussain, former vice president Abdul Jalil Jan, Shuja Mohammad, Abidullah Yousafzai, members of the chamber executive committee Ejaz Khan Afridi, Naeem Qasmi, Muhammad Tariq, Zahoor Khan, Waqar Ahmad, Shams Rahim, Ihsanullah, Ishtiaq Muhammad, a large number of traders belonging from furniture, honey and other important sector and transporters were in attendance on the occasion.

The participants identified hiccups and impediments, which were hindering mutual trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan and gave a number of suggestions to resolve them amicably. Hasnain Khurshid while speaking on the occasion stressed the need for taking pragmatic steps to remove hurdles to Pak-Afghan mutual trade.

For this purpose, he urged Islamabad and Kabul to devise a joint mechanism to carry out smooth trade and onward to Central Asian Republics. He observed traders have faced enormous difficulties with the introduction of a new system, emphasizing for their resolving by taking joint measures of the both governments.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2021.