Daily Times

Afghan President’s Special Envoy for Pakistan Mohammad Umer Daudzai arrived in Islamabad on Sundkay for talks on Pakistan’s role in the peace process, which currently faces a stalemate.

Besides holding talks on the peace process, Daudzai will attend a seminar of the traders of Pakistan and Afghanistan that will explore ways to boost bilateral trade and remove hurdles in the transit trade.

Daudzai’s visit is part of Pakistan’s policy to reach out to Afghan leaders.

Earlier, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, chief of Hizb-e-Islami visited Pakistan for talks on the peace process.

Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan says Pakistan believes that after decades of conflict and instability, there is a historic opportunity to move towards a sustained, inclusive and lasting political settlement in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan has a policy of expanding its outreach to all Afghan leaders and politicians so that conditions for the intra-Afghan negotiations remain conducive and the process continues to move forward. We are in touch with President Ashraf Ghani and his government,” Khan told Daily Times.

He said Pakistan had invited Dr. Abdullah and Hekmatyar and both sides had useful exchange of views with them about the peace process and bilateral relations.

“Other leading political figures from Afghanistan will also be invited in due course. The intention is to engage with all political shades of opinion in Afghanistan and contribute to facilitating a last solution of the Afghan conflict. Pakistan will respect whatever decisions Afghans take about their future,” Khan said.

Commerce Minister of Afghanistan Nisar Ghoriyani, leading a 35-member delegation of businessmen, also arrived in Islamabad on Sunday.

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar will host the two-day seminar on ‘’Pakistan-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Forum 2020’,” which officials say is significant for bilateral trade and economic linkages, regional growth and development.

The seminar will be attended by parliamentarians, trade communities of the two sides, government functionaries and ministries, who will discuss and deliberate on ways and means to open up new vistas of cooperation and boosting bilateral trade between Islamabad and Kabul.

USAID, Pakistan has also extended support to the National Assembly Secretariat in organizing Seminar under its regional connectivity and integration initiative, according to the National Assembly’s secretariat.

Inter-Parliamentary parleys, during the seminar, will explore the possibilities of regional connectivity and to provide for mechanisms to enhance bilateral trade and strategies to resolve all outstanding issues to create a win-win situation.

Thematic sessions of the seminar will focus on reducing Pakistan-Afghanistan transit trade, trade and investment opportunities in the manufacturing sector, trade and investment opportunities in agriculture, food, livestock and minerals and trade and investment opportunities in services.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the opening ceremony of the conference on Monday, as Chief Guest. Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar, Advisor for Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will also address the gathering besides addresses of Speaker Afghan Wolesi Jirga Mir Rehman Rehmani and Commerce Minister of Afghanistan Nisar Ghoriyani.

“Seminar is unique and historic keeping in view the government’s vibrant policies aimed at promoting regional connectivity and creating an environment of shared development and prosperity,” said a statement issued by the National Assembly’s secretariat.

“Owing to the huge significance, the seminar has attracted huge interest from representatives from Afghanistan trade and investment community, intelligentsia, academia, investors and traders and other people from different walks of lives to participate,” it said.

The trade and investment moot is the culmination of activities of the Executive Committee of Pakistan Afghanistan Parliamentary Friendship.

The Executive Committee of Pakistan-Afghanistan Parliamentary Friendship Group in its endeavors under the leadership of Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser achieved milestones in the form of eradicating tariff and non-tariff issues, especially lubricating the transit trade between both countries, officially made it possible to get formal approval of Afghanistan visa liberalization visa policy from the Cabinet, facilitated traders on both sides of the borders, and it brought two brotherly nations closer.

On invitation of the Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser a 17-member Afghan Parliamentary Delegation led by Speaker of the Wolsey Jirga (Afghan Parliament) Mir Rahman Rahmani is in Islamabad these days to participate in the seminar.

The seminar would further open new avenues of parliamentary cooperation, people to people contacts and realizing the dream of a peaceful and prosperous region.

The seminar will discuss Reducing the Cost of Pakistan – Afghanistan Transit Trade, Infrastructure issues, Access to third country, Temporary Vehicle and driver admission policy, Presentation of preliminary agreements and policy recommendations.

There will be group discussion on the Trade and Investment Opportunities in Manufacturing Sector, Construction, Textile, Plastic, Pharmaceuticals, Trade and Investment Opportunities in Agriculture, Food, Livestock & Minerals, Agriculture, Food & Livestock, Commodities (Wheat/Sugar/Oil), Mining and Minerals, Trade and Investment Opportunities in Services, Banking, Financial, Services, Information, Technology and Medical Tourism.