October 27, 2002	Sunday	Sha’aban 20,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 26: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has directed the ministries of finance, commerce and communications to extend all possible financial and technical support to Afghan government.

Presiding a meeting to discuss Pakistan-Afghan trade and economic relations, here on Saturday, he told the participants that Pakistan wanted to strengthen its political and economic ties with Afghanistan.

He said it was very encouraging that bickering of the past was subsiding and present Afghan government believed that Pakistan genuinely wanted to improve its ties with Afghanistan.

The meeting was convened after President’s recent meeting in Teheran with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in which the latter asked for more Pakistani support.

The Karzai government, which had been promised roughly $4.5 billion by the international community in the Tokyo conference last year, was not getting adequate funding and due to that it was experiencing financial difficulties.

Pakistan, which had pledged $100 million to Afghanistan and so far disbursed $18 million, was expected to offer some more assistance within this year, the president said. The assistance of $100 million would be disbursed in a three-year period.

The issue of Pakistan’s private sector to accelerate its business activities in Afghanistan was also discussed. The president in this regard directed the ministries concerned to help remove the difficulties of the Pakistani businessmen so that they could play their due role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Pakistani businessmen complain that bureaucracy was not extending them required support to do business in Afghanistan.

In this behalf the example of India, Turkey and Iran was cited which were providing full support to their businessmen to get maximum contracts in Afghanistan.

But an official of the ministry of commerce said the government was encouraging joint ventures specially between the private sectors of Pakistan, Iran and Turkey to get more business in Afghanistan.