Pakistan and Afghanistan reached some agreements during trade talks in Kabul, including the start of negotiations on a revised transit trade agreement and the introduction of a temporary entry document (TAD) for commercial vehicle drivers, officials said on Friday.
The talks came amid tensions following Pakistan’s March 18 airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Patika and Khost provinces as part of “intelligence counter-terrorism operations” that Afghan officials said killed eight people.
The Foreign Office confirmed the attacks, saying they were aimed at Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group, which has been responsible for several terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including one on security forces in North Waziristan that killed seven soldiers.
Foreign Ministry (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly press briefing on Thursday that Commerce Minister Mohammad Khurrum Agha visited Afghanistan from March 24 to 27 to discuss bilateral trade and transit with his Afghan counterpart Nooruddin Azizi. The two sides discussed bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement, TAD implementation for commercial vehicle drivers, multimodal air transit and issues related to transit trade.
“We are encouraged by the progress made on these issues and remain committed to promoting trade and people-to-people relations with Afghanistan,” the FO said. Pakistan embassy officials in Kabul today said progress has been made on many issues – including bilateral preferential trade agreement, air transit, operation of border crossings 24/7 for commercial purposes, resolution of transit trade through Afghanistan and Afghan transit trade passing through Pakistan.
Afghan chargé d’affaires Sardar Shakib Ahmad rushed to Kabul to inform officials of his meetings in Islamabad. He met Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaq and briefed him on recent developments in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takkal said.
Pakistan’s Head of Mission in Kabul, Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani, said the visit of the Commerce Ministry delegation was part of Pakistan’s efforts to build strong ties with Afghanistan in transit, trade and all other mutually beneficial areas.
“I am happy to report that it was a successful visit and both sides agreed to cooperate for mutual benefit in a number of areas,” Nizamani said in a video statement.
He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan will facilitate transit and bilateral trade and take all possible measures to create an environment conducive to continuous and productive trade and economic relations between the two countries.
