Commerce Minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan will undertake a three- day official visit to Afghanistan starting from February 10, 2015 to discuss Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and progress on Transit Trade Agreement (TTA) among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, official sources told Business Recorder on Sunday.
The Commerce Minister''s visit will be follow up of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani''s visit to Pakistan in November, 2014 when an agreement was reached with Pakistan to promote bilateral co-operation in economic and trade relations for the benefit of the two countries.
According to sources, the Commerce Minister will also discuss prospects of transit trade agreement among the four countries instead of three as Pakistan has also offered Turkmenistan to become part of transit agreement.
Recently, Turkmenistan ambassador to Pakistan met the Commerce Minister in Islamabad and prospects of transit trade agreement were discussed in detail and Pakistan handed over the draft of trade pack to the ambassador.
"I am scheduled to visit Kabul to meet his Afghan counterpart to further cement bilateral trade relations as well as transit trade agreement," Khurram added. He will also hold a meeting with his Afghan counterpart on bilateral trade agreement and transit trade agreement which will ultimately be helpful in enhancing trade with Central Asian Republics.
Although, Afghanistan maintains that its trucks be allowed to enter Indian territory but Islamabad refused to accommodate Afghanistan request, saying that Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement does not allow entry to the third country.
United States is also pressing Pakistan for extending transit facility to Indian trucks through Wagha border to Afghanistan and Central Asia which was turned down by Islamabad.
Top officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan met in Islamabad on January 2, 2015 to discuss bilateral trade and issues facing exporters of both countries. Both sides underlined the need for enhanced co-operation for boosting bilateral trade.
On January 3, 2015 the experts of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan held detailed discussions on Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement aimed at enhancement of trade through facilitation, removal of barriers, unnecessary delays and reduction in cost of doing business. The three countries discussed Trilateral Transit Trade Agreement which would be a win-win for all the stakeholders and lay the foundation for greater and deeper regional economic co-operation.
Pakistan is also requesting the Afghan government to reduce tonnage fee on Pakistan goods exported to Afghanistan and beyond, sources added. Both countries have considered various options to reduce time and cost of transit trade including 100 percent scanning, installation of trackers on prime movers and containers and multiple guarantees.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have already agreed that the requirement of scanning of Afghan transit cargo will be reduced to 20 per cent subject to risk profiling and introduction of risk management system. Afghanistan has proposed that levying insurance guarantee requirement not be imposed on those items which are sensitive.