PESHAWAR: The Khhyber Pakhtunkhwa business community on Tuesday called for signing of a Pak-Afghan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the pattern of FTA inked with China to promote bilateral trade between the two neighbouring countries.
The demand was made during a meeting of the business community regarding Pak-Afghan bilateral trade here at Customs’ House, a news release said.
Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry Coordinator for KP Sartaj Ahmad Khan, Collector Customs Mohammad Saleem, Afghan Commercial Attache Mohammad Fawad Adarsh, Hamid Faisal Khel, President, All Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Traders Federation Malik Sohni, Senior Vice President (SVP) Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Shahid Hussain and member executive FPCCI, Mohammad Wazir and others attended the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, the speakers called for round-the-clock opening of Pak-Afghan border to promote Pak-Afghan bilateral trade and instead of allowing 100- export bound trucks allow the same number of trucks for export of separate items.
They called for taking some export friendly steps to bring back transit good shifted to Iranian sea port of Chabahar to Pakistani ports. They said that time had come for the Pakistan Customs and other agencies to sign FTA for promotion of bilateral trade with Afghanistan and extend more facilities in head of transit trade.
In response to the demands of the business community, Collector Customs Mohammad Saleem said that the Federal Government had abolished customs duty on fresh and dry fruits from Afghanistan. But, he said that in garb of Afghan food items, the fruit of other neighbouring countries was being imported and for prevention of fake documentation hinted at holding a flag-staff meeting with Afghan customs officials.
He said both exports and imports documentation had been digitalized and trade on fake document had become impossible.
Speaking on the occasion, the Commercial Attaché at the Consul-General of Afghanistan, Mohammad Fawad Adarsh called for keeping customs duties at minimum level to promote bilateral trade and proposed the selection of ten food items as duty free by both the countries.