President General Pervez Musharraf has urged Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) to work on bringing oil and gas pipelines from Central Asian Republics (CARs) through Afghanistan to Pakistan for a domestic market and onward transmission to international markets Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Salman Shah stated this, while addressing the concluding session of the two-day Pak-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission here on Friday. Visiting Afghanistan Finance Minister Dr Anwarul Haq Ahadi also spoke on the occasion.
During the JEC session, Dr Salman Shah led the Pakistani delegation, while Dr Anwarul Haq headed the Afghanistan delegation.
A bilateral agreement was also signed at the conclusion of the meeting by both the countries.
Dr Salman Shah unveiling the outcomes of the fourth Pak-Afghanistan JEC said that Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan (TAP) gas pipeline is the "win win situation" for the three countries.
"We have reiterated our support to the project and the Afghan finance minister also fully supported this project and would actively work towards promoting and getting this project implemented," Salman said. "The president wants deeper linkage with Afghanistan and through Afghanistan to Central Asia," he added.
The connecting of ports in Pakistan with Afghanistan and Central Asia is the top priority of the government, he added. The adviser said that during the meeting it was decided to hold Pak-Afghan JEC quarterly and the next meeting would be held in Kabul after three months.
He said that the Afghan delegation appreciated Pakistan's efforts to streamline transit regime and generous cash and project assistance provided by Pakistan at a crucial time in Afghan history.
The Afghan government acknowledged that transportation and handling of Afghan transit goods have considerably improved during the last three years, he added. The JEC hoped that the trade could be doubled to exceed $1 billion in near future, he added.
He said that it was agreed that a committee comprising Commerce and Revenue Division secretaries would visit Kabul to explore ways and means to improve bilateral trade. Pakistan, he said, proposed to hold talks for concluding preferential tariff agreement which would lead to Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Both the countries decided to take effective steps to further improve business-to-business interaction and enhance bilateral trade through further streamlining of procedures, holding single country exhibitions and establishment of joint chamber of commerce and industry, he added. He said Pakistan is establishing network of roads connecting Karachi Port, Port Qasim and Gwadar Port with Afghanistan to facilitate bilateral trade and develop trade links with the Central Asian Republics.
Pakistan, he said, would also establish 12 customs stations on Pak-Afghan border and state-of-the-art facilities are being set up at Torkham and Chaman for trade facilitation and speedy cargo clearance. Both the countries agreed to establish joint ventures in value-added and agro-based industries, he added. The Afghan government, he said, also agreed to facilitate the opening of further branches of Pakistani banks in Afghanistan in order to facilitate trade and investment.
Both the countries agreed to associate the private sector with the JEC proceedings on a permanent basis.
Both the countries, he said also agreed to establish a joint committee to ensure prompt implementation of decisions of the JEC.
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