Pak-Afghan bilateral talks to begin today

Bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, transit, transport and border facilitations will be discussed

ISLAMABAD:

A Pakistani official delegation led by Secretary Commerce Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui will leave for Kabul on Monday (today) for a three-day visit for talks on bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, transit, transport and border facilitations.

According to a press release issued in Islamabad, the delegation will comprise senior officers from the Ministry of Commerce, the Federal Board of Revenue, the National Logistic Cell, Ministry of Interior and Power Division.

The delegation during its three-day visit will also discuss issues being faced by traders in bilateral and transit trade between the two countries.

The visit is a continuation of an ongoing process of bilateral engagements between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the fields of trade, transit, connectivity and economic cooperation.

Read Khar calls for easing sanctions on Afghanistan

Earlier, commerce ministers of the two countries in a zoom meeting on the 6th of this month agreed to enhance bilateral economic and trade ties and to work on increasing economic integration.

Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also approved the import of super-critical quality coal from Afghanistan in rupees instead of dollars, saying the move will help the country save precious foreign exchange.

The Afghan Taliban have already stepped up coal exports to Pakistan and increased duties on sales, an official said, as the group aimed to generate more revenue from its mining sector in the absence of direct foreign funding.

PM Shehbaz also chaired a meeting on improving the transportation system of coal imported from Afghanistan in the country.