Increase in Pak-Afghan trade urged

Commerce minister invites Afghan authorities to participate in expo

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Industries, Commerce and Technical Education Muhammad Adnan Jalil has said bilateral trade with Afghanistan could further be increased which would benefit both the neighborly countries greatly. He noted that apart from religious, cultural similarity and border connectivity, Pakistan and Afghanistan have cordial relationship, based on close proximity and neighbourhood. He said that people of both the countries feel brotherly sentiments for each other while Pakistan wishes sustainable peace in Afghanistan, which is a catalyst for the stability of the whole region.

The provincial minister said that there are vast possibilities for further deepening the bilateral trade and economic ties, which is required to facilitate the business and investors community of both the countries. He expressed these views during a meeting with the Afghan diplomatic delegation led by Afghan Consul General Hafiz Mohibullah, at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KPBOIT) office here at Peshawar on Friday. During the meeting, Director Business Development KPBOIT Bilal Sarwar, Coordinator FPCCI Sartaj Ahmed Khan, Economic Advisor Industries Department Abdul Rehman and other officials were also accompanied by the provincial minister. The provincial minister discussed matters of mutual interest with the Afghan diplomats, focusing on further expansion of trade and business activities between the two countries, increasing the volume of Pak-Afghan trade and taking benefits from cross border investment opportunities.

The minister also invited Afghan relevant authorities, traders and business community to come to Pakistan and participate in the upcoming Pak Afghan Expo, to be held at Peshawar in the upcoming month of September. He also accepted the offer of Afghan officials for participation of KhyberPakhtunkhwa investors and relevant officials, at Afghan Business Conference, to be held in Afghanistan in near future. On this occasion, border trade also came under discussion while the minister termed it a major source of trade development between the two countries. He said that Afghanistan, as a trade corridor, should provide facilities for the peaceful access of the Pakistani businessmen to Central Asian countries so as to run the Cross-border trade and business activities in a conducive environment.