Daily Times

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser has said that further removing trade bottlenecks between Pakistan and Afghanistan would ensure bright future for our next generation. He said that recent conference organized by National Assembly of Pakistan for finding new avenues of trade and investment between both countries have been possible due to consistent efforts of this Committee of Pak-Afghan Parliamentary Friendship Group. He informed that it is the first time that 23 Afghan Parliamentarians along with their traders and investors visited Pakistan. He said that follow up of the implementation of the recommendations of the conference would be top priority of this Committee. He expressed these views while chairing the 5th meeting of Executive Committee of Pak-Afghan Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Parliament House, on Monday. While reviewing the progress of the previous recommendations of the Committee, the Speaker Asad Qaiser expressed his satisfaction on the pace of implementation by the Executive. He said that on the recommendation of the Committee, Torkham border is now open for 7 days for pedestrian instead of 4 days. The Speaker asked the SAPM Arbab Shahzad to visit Chaman Border along with Committee Members and Special Envoy of PM to Afghanistan Sadiq Khan. The Speaker decided to call next meeting soon to further review the recommendation of the Conference on trade and investment. He also asked the Advisor to PM on Commerce to pursue the negotiation on Afghan Pakistan Preferential Trade Agreement on fast pace so that the trade activities could take place more vigorously. Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Razzaq Dawood briefed the Executive Committee regarding his visit of Afghanistan where issues Preferential Trade Agreement, Free movement of trucks, custom issues and signing the MOUs between both countries in this regard was deliberated upon. He informed that after due deliberation the MoUs will be signed and resultantly the volume of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan will increase. The Executive Committee meeting was attended by MNAs Shanadana Gulzar, Moshin Darwar, Salahudin Ayubi, Yaqoob Sheikh, SAPM Arbab Shahzad through video link and the officers of M/O Railways, Commerce, Foreign Affairs, FBR, NLC and the senior officers from Baluchistan and KP provincial government.