ISLAMABAD, Sept 27: The chairman Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Tariq Ikram said on Saturday that steps were under way to enhance trade with Afghanistan in the next few years.

Speaking at a news conference here after attending a four- day single country exhibition of Pakistani goods in Kabul, Tariq said Pakistan International Airliner (PIA) has already increased the number of its flights to Afghanistan from one a week to three a week.

Further, he said, Afghan Ariana flight between Kabul and Peshawar in addition to the weekly flight between Kabul and Islamabad is being discussed between the authorities in the two countries.

With these increase in the number of flights, he said, traders would be able to visit each others country more frequently and without having to wait for days together.

He said the single country exhibition of Pakistani goods in Kabul was aimed at establishing direct contacts between Afghan importers and exporters from Sindh and Punjab. He said that currently the Afghan businessmen were in contact only with the businessmen in the NWFP and Balochistan.

The chairman said National Bank of Pakistan would soon open its branches in Afghanistan, which, he said, would further facilitate Pakistani traders.

To a question, he said construction activities in Afghanistan were dominated by Turkish and Egyptian companies.

Mr Ikram said the government would soon start work on the