ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaisar has said that Pakistan had great wishes to develop vibrant relations with parliamentarians, people, and businessmen of Afghanistan.
Addressing the Pakistan-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Forum 2020, on Monday, the NA speaker said the government is taking more steps to increase the Pak-Afghan trade.
Promotion of trade and economic links between Pakistan and Afghanistan would usher in a new era of socio-economic development and help bring people of the two countries closer, he added.
Asad Qaisar said, “The 2,640 kilometers Pak-Afghan border is not only the longest border that Pakistan shares with any of its neighboring countries, but it is also the thread which weaves the two nations into a historic tapestry of social, cultural, linguistic, economic, religious and fraternal ties”.
He observed that Pakistan and Afghanistan are strategically significant trading partners, however, trade between the two countries gradually declined.
Eliminating trade barriers along with facilitating traders would not only enhance the trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan but would also greatly contribute to poverty eradication and social uplift, he said.
“Such initiatives will also increase employment opportunities for our people and decreasing non-tariff barriers on both sides of the border will enhance mutual trade,” Qaisar said.
The NA speaker pointed out that the establishment of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Parliamentary Friendship Group (PAPFG) and its task forces for encouraging people-to-people contact and facilitating bilateral and transit trade is a manifestation of Pakistan’s commitment to improving bilateral economic engagement with Afghanistan.
He proposed the formation of a task force to oversee the terms of negotiation of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
Qaisar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment in terms of promoting parliamentary diplomacy and said that the country is ready to play its role in mounting strong linkages for mutually beneficial trade relations with Afghanistan.
On this occasion, Speaker Wolsi Jirga of the Afghan Parliament Mir Rehman Rehmani applauded the efforts of the Pakistani government to support Afghanistan for bringing peace in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Speaker said that Afghanistan highly values its ties with Pakistan as both countries enjoy shared religious and cultural values and Afghanistan is proud of its close relations with Pakistan.
Rehmani remarked that there is a need to capitalize on the potential of both countries as both have vast opportunities for trade and investment.
