ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has said that the volume of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan will be increased by removing trade bottlenecks, and after signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs).

"The recent conference organised by National Assembly of Pakistan for finding new avenues of trade and investment between both countries have been possible due to consistent efforts of this Committee of Pak-Afghan Parliamentary Friendship Group. It is the first time that 23 Afghan Parliamentarians along with their traders and investors visited Pakistan.

Follow up of the implementation of the recommendations of the conference would be top priority of this Committee," the speaker expressed these views, while chairing the 5th meeting of Executive Committee of Pak-Afghan Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Parliament House on Monday.

The speaker decided to call next meeting soon to further review the recommendations of the conference on trade and investment. He also asked the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce to pursue the negotiation on Afghan Pakistan Preferential Trade Agreement on fast pace, so that the trade activities could take place more vigorously.

While reviewing the progress of the previous recommendations of the Committee, the speaker expressed his satisfaction on the pace of implementation by the executive. He said that on the recommendation of the committee, Torkham border is now open for seven days for pedestrians instead of four days.

He asked SAPM Arbab Shahzad to visit Chaman border along with the committee members and Special Envoy of PM to Afghanistan Sadiq Khan. Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Razak Dawood briefed the Executive Committee regarding his visit to Afghanistan where issues of Preferential Trade Agreement, free movement of trucks, custom issues, and signing the MoUs between both the countries in this regard were deliberated upon.

He informed that after due deliberation the MoUs will be signed, and resultantly the volume of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan will increase. The Executive Committee meeting was attended by MNAs Shanadana Gulzar, Moshin Dawar, Salahudin Ayubi, Yaqoob Sheikh, and SAPM Arbab Shahzad through video link, and the officers of the ministries of Railways, Commerce, Foreign Affairs, the FBR, NLC, and the senior officers from Balochistan and KP provincial governments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020