LAHORE:The SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry Friday welcomed Pak-Afghan transit trade accord extension for another six months, saying it was essential to facilitate uninterrupted flow of transit trade between the two brotherly neighbouring Muslim countries.
Talking to a delegation of importers and exporters, led by Muslim Khan Banowari from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), SAARC Chamber chief Iftikhar Ali Malik said that the decision to extend the agreement was mainly aimed at preventing any disruption in trade and transit affairs between the both countries. Meanwhile, the proposed amendments to the agreement would be discussed and finalised.
He said Pakistan’s clear vision for trade and economic relations with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics (CAR) was to make Pakistan a hub of trade, transit and shipment.
Iftikhar Malik said it’s good omen that both sides expressed satisfaction with another extension of the agreement and decided that technical teams of both countries would conclude the accord soon.
He said that over the last extension, a total of 832,819 containers of Afghan transit trade carrying goods valued $33 billion had passed through Pakistan which totalled 30 per cent of the Afghan transit trade.
He said SAARC Chamber had established a special cell to facilitate the Afghan traders, importers, exporters and private sector to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.