Afghan-Pakistan transit trade: Zardari signs instrument of ratification

Agreement to be implemented within 30 days of diplomatic exchange.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has signed an instrument of ratification on Friday in order to implement the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).

The ministry of commerce requested the foreign office to forward the signed document to Kabul at the soonest.

A senior official of the commerce ministry told The Express Tribune that implementation of the APTTA is expected within 30 days of the diplomatic exchange of the instrument of ratification. He said the foreign office has been urged to expedite handing over of the document to authorities in Afghanistan so that timely implementation of the agreement can be ensured.

According to the official, the signed instrument will be sent across through Pakistan’s ambassador in Afghanistan after which Afghanistan’s ambassador in Pakistan will be informed.

After completion of diplomatic formalities, the provincial governments will also have to be informed since the trucks entering through the Pak-Afghan border, for the transport of goods, will travel across provincial borders to Karachi. The provinces will have to be taken on board so that there are no logistical problems once the accord comes into effect.

The official also reiterated that a biometric system and electronic data management system will be set up at the Pak-Afghan border. According to sources, Pakistan will have to bear the entire cost of developing these systems since Afghanistan had made it clear while signing the agreement that it did not possess the required resources.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2010.