A delegation from the Pakistani commerce ministry will travel to Kabul today, Monday, to discuss issues related to bilateral trade, a week after Islamabad carried out two airstrikes against suspected militants it says were harboring inside Afghan territory.
The neighboring countries have traded blame in recent months over who is responsible for a recent spate of militant attacks in Pakistan. Islamabad says the attacks are launched mostly by members of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who operate from safe havens in Afghanistan. Kabul’s ruling Taliban deny this and blame Islamabad for not being able to handle its own security challenges.
Tensions have also worsened as Islamabad began expelling more than a million undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghans, from Nov. 1 last year, amid the row over accusations that Kabul harbored Pakistani militants.
The diplomatic tensions over the last few months have also led to economic losses, as key border crossing for trade and travel have been intermittently closed, hitting trade-dependent communities and industries.
“Secretary Commerce Khurrum Agha will undertake a two-day visit to Afghanistan on Monday 25 March 2024 to discuss trade related matters,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesperson for the Pakistani foreign office, said in a statement on Sunday.
“Pakistan remains committed to promoting trade and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan.”
On Saturday, Hajji Usman, a member of the Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said security issues between the two countries were impeding the smooth flow of trade.
“I don’t think bilateral trade can move forward in the current state of affairs,” he told Arab News. “First, both countries need to restore confidence and pave ground for boosting trade.”
“BUREAUCRATIC HURDLES”
Muhammad Zubair Motiwala, chief executive officer of at the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), the country’s export promotion arm, said the delegation would visit Kabul “for confidence-building measures to foster trust and ensure smooth trade flow between the two neighbors.”
“Both countries need to revisit their policies to simplify trade, ease restrictions and simplify transit at the border points,” Motiwala added. Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, an Afghan commerce ministry spokesperson, accused Islamabad of complicating bilateral trade issues.
“Talks will focus on unnecessary delay in movement of goods’ trucks, red tapism in preparing documents for transit of heavy containers and Islamabad’s latest tightening of rules for Afghan truckers to get Pakistani visas,” Jawad said.
