Government agrees to give trade access to Afghanistan

The federal government has agreed to give Afghanistan trade access to India using Pakistani soil, while in response Afghanistan has agreed to give Pakistan trade access to Sher Khan Bandar, a border area of Tajikistan.

Sources said that one year ago, a proposed trilateral agreement had been drafted for land trade among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan which had to be signed. At the time of the signature, Afghanistan wanted to put in the condition to include India in the agreement. However Pakistan opposed the Afghanistan’s condition. This made the future of the trilateral transit trade agreement uncertain. But the government has now agreed to give Afghanistan trade access to India.

“The government has agreed that the Afghan trucks can use the Wagah route, also allowing them to use the routes of Torkham and Chaman for transferring the goods. Similarly the Afghan government has agreed that Pakistan can use Sher Khan Bandar, a border of Tajikistan for trade purposes,” sources added.

Sources further said that the Afghan trucks have been allowed to export Pakistani products on returning from Wagah while Pakistani trucks will be permitted to export products on return from the Tajikistan border. The government of Pakistan has also agreed to consider the Afghan proposal to eliminate existing negative list for Afghan Transit Trade.

In this connection, Afghan Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority (APTTCA)’s meeting was held on February 14 and 15 in Islamabad. In the meeting, the two countries agreed upon a number of matters, sources said.