SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry former president Iftikhar Ali Malik has stressed the need for unlocking potential of regional economic cooperation and integration to boost trade among regional countries, especially with Afghanistan at this critical juncture. In a statement issued here on Sunday, he said intra-regional trade in South Asia is less than one third of its potential, which indicated that 67 per cent of trade was not being fully exploited. He said the role of Afghanistan as a connector and as land bridge between Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia needs to be reviewed in prevailing scenario to primarily focus on promotion of trade and investment. He said even today, Afghanistan is seen as a viable doorway to South Asian countries for direct access to oil and gas of republics of Tajikistan,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. He said better trade ties would help promote economic growth, and do away with abject poverty in the region especially in Afghanistan. Iftikhar Malik said Pakistan after Iran and China is the third largest trading partner of Afghanistan which exports cement, pharmaceuticals products, sulphur, stone, plaster, peel of citrus fruit, melon, vegetable fats, edible fruits and oil etc., and Afghanistan’s main exports are carpets and rugs, which account for 45 per cent of total exports, while dried fruits constitutes 31 per cent, and medicinal plants 12 per cent.