Border hurdles hurt Pak-Afghan trade

Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) Co-Chairman Khan Jan Alokozay on Monday, said that the present obstacles in trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan will have a  negative impact on long term trade between the two countries.

Alokozay said that the obstacles will lead to socio-economic effects on people living on the border, widening trade gap, loss of livelihood, increasing hardships for people and unrest in border areas. 

In a statement, Alokozay said that he has shared the activities and initiatives of PAJCCI in raising the voice of the business community of both sides, providing feedback to both governments and bringing issues on the table with the objective of beneficial and long-term resolution.

He reiterated high impact issues like withdrawal of cash on counter facility, requirement of advance payments and reluctance of banks to accept third party payment in case of Afghanistan leading to halted trade across the border.  

He emphasized that currently non-issuance of EIF by State Bank of Pakistan has gravely affected their transactions and requested to abolish this requirement till the appropriate procedure may be devised, as non-issuance of these forms lead to halting consignments and creating congestion at the border.

PAJCCI has also been instrumental in convincing the Afghan government to develop a mechanism for barter trade and will support all related chambers working with PAJCCI to trade equally in Afghanistan. 

It was also agreed that joint investment opportunities, policy and guidelines for joint and bilateral investments will be developed, trade promotion facilitation, cooperation in agriculture sector, frequent exchange of trade & economic delegations will be undertaken.

Pakistan National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf during his visit to Kabul met with Taliban’s acting deputy Prime Minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi. During the meeting Hanafi invited Pakistani entrepreneurs and companies to invest in Afghanistan’s energy, mining, and agriculture sectors.

PAJCCI Chairman, Muhammad Zubair Motiwala considered this an important milestone and urged Government of Pakistan to facilitate visit of business delegations across the border to ensure reaping of benefits mutually.