TORKHAM: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed in principle to lift several restrictions on transit trade, which have paved the way for the promotion of bilateral trade.
According to Ministry of Commerce sources, Afghanistan in recent talks demanded that Pakistan should expand the scope of transit trade and increase facilities, on which Pakistan has expressed its willingness to lift the restrictions in a phase-wise manner after review.
According to media reports, the Afghan delegation was led by the Deputy Minister of Industries and Commerce, while the Pakistani delegation was led by the Secretary of Commerce. Afghan officials proposed in the talks to lift SRO1397/2023, under which there were restrictions on imports of various goods on transit trade.
Afghanistan took the position that, due to the improvement in their economy, imports have increased and development projects are underway; therefore, lifting restrictions on the supply of necessary goods is necessary.
Pakistan has sought a list of Afghan industrial goods so that they can be reviewed and certain products can be removed from the restricted list. Regarding processing fees, the Afghan government has also demanded that the 10 per cent fee be removed. Pakistan has also agreed to this after receiving the list.
Pakistani officials say that so far, restrictions on 53 per cent of the items have already been lifted, and the remaining items can also be relaxed in a phase-wise manner. This development will not only help improve trade relations between the two countries but will also play an important role in promoting regional economic cooperation.
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