ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi directed the relevant departments to take steps for facilitating the importers and exporters of the border areas of Balochistan to enhance country’s exports.
The president also asked the concerned departments to take practical steps for ease of doing business and help facilitate the transportation of goods from Balochistan to other provinces.
While addressing a meeting on Borders and Trade Management in Balochistan here at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday, the president emphasised to increase trade crossing points along the border with neighbouring countries in Balochistan. He said that the facility of increasing trade crossing points would greatly help generate economic activities and enhance the quantum of exports.
The meeting emphasised the need for easing and expediting the process of granting No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to foreign investors as well as facilitating the businessmen of Central Asian States to import and export their goods through Gwadar Port.
The meeting was briefed about the problems being faced by the people and traders of Balochistan.
It was informed that the province had no petrol pumps in the remote areas and the traders along the border also lacked necessary facilities such as communication, banks, and roads infrastructure.
The president said that he had already asked the Ministry of Petroleum, particularly, the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to make arrangements for meeting the fuel requirements of remote areas of Balochistan on priority basis, apart from establishing additional petrol pumps on Makran Coastal Highway to facilitate the people travelling between Gwadar and Karachi.
The meeting agreed to hold the next meeting at Gwadar to be attended by all the relevant stakeholders to help address the issues being faced by the traders and the people of Balochistan.
In order to boost bilateral trade with Afghanistan, the finance minister informed that it had been decided to do trade with Afghanistan in local currency.
He assured that the Ministry of Finance would provide all necessary support at trading points with neighbouring countries to help traders of Balochistan.
The meeting was attended by Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Minister of Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin, Governor Balochistan Syed Zahoor Ahmed Agha, Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bezenjo, Secretary Interior Yousaf Naseem Khokar, chief secretary Balochistan, Mather Niaz Rana, and other senior officials.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021