April 5, 2003	Saturday	Safar 2, 1424

PESHAWAR, April 4: Weekly flight operations between Pakistan and Afghanistan would shortly be increased, besides reducing the air fare and granting multiple visas to Pakistani businessmen by the Afghan government.

As part of the Afghan government’s measures to enhance trade between the two countries, two Pakistani banks — National Bank of Pakistan and Habib Bank Limited — have also been allowed to open their branches in Kabul, said the president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Sarwar Mohmand during a press conference here on Friday.

Mr Mohmand, who returned from Afghanistan on Thursday, led a delegation of the SCCI members which held meetings with the senior Afghan authorities and ministers including Finance Minister Amin Arsala.

Besides, the SCCI delegation also held series of meetings with the Afghan trade and business circles to find out prospects for promoting bilateral trade.

The SCCI president termed the visit a success and expressed the hope that trade and business relations between the two sides would improve. “Pakistan is the best choice of the trade and business circles of Afghanistan due to its geographic location,” he added.

He termed the delegation’s meetings with Afghan Finance Minister Amin Arsala and other senior authorities very encouraging and result-oriented.

He said the Afghan authorities had agreed to increase weekly flight operations and promised to grant multiple visas to Pakistani businessmen.

According to him, three flights would operate between Islamabad and Kabul every week besides two flights between Peshawar and Kabul.

Similarly, he added, the Afghan government had also hinted at starting single flight operations between Lahore and Hirat and between Karachi and Qandhar every week.

Whereas, the return air fare had already been reduced from $400 to $200 by the Afghan government. Mr Mohmand said that the Afghan authorities had also promised to consider the visiting delegation’s request for bringing the fare down to $100 per passenger using the Peshawar-Kabul route.

Though Islamabad had partly relaxed restrictions on the Afghan Transit Trade by removing certain items from the negative list, Pakistan, said Mohmand, should announce more relaxations in an attempt to win over the confidence of the Afghan government paving the way for local traders and businessmen to exploit the business opportunities in the emerging Afghan markets.

“We should not miss this opportunity,” said Mr Mohmand, adding that “ATT related curbs imposed by Pakistan are the major irritants in the way of improving exports to Afghanistan”.

Improving trade and business activities with Afghanistan, the SCCI had planned to organize a three-day exhibition of industrial products at Peshawar starting from May 6, said Mr Mohmand, adding that Afghan Finance Minister Amin Arsala had also been invited to attend the exhibition.

He said the exhibition was aimed at introducing local products to Afghan traders and bring them closer with the local trade and business circles.

Trade and business community, he added, needed to increase its interaction with their counterparts in Pakistan to utilize the growing business opportunities in Afghanistan.

“That [interaction] is the only way Pakistani businessmen could secure ground in the emerging Afghan markets,” said Mr Mohmand, adding that the reason why Pakistan could not exploit the situation to its benefit in Afghan markets was simply that Pakistani businessmen were not inclined to interact and find business prospects in Afghanistan.

“We really need hard effort, there is lot of scope for us in Afghanistan but we lack the initiative,” said Mr Mohmand.