PESHAWAR, June 13: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) leaders on Friday signed a number of trade agreements with Afghan counterparts to improve trade activities between the two neighboring countries.

Referring to a one-day trade conference held recently at Jalalabad, Afghanistan, SCCI president Haji Mohammad Asif said Nangrahar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) president Dr Mukhlis had signed joint communiqués pertaining to various issues for boosting export, import, reduction of transportation fares, restoration of railway service and Afghan Transit Trade.

Mr Asif in a statement said customs clearance staff of both countries would start regular duty from July 15 in order to facilitate businessmen.

He said the imposition of export duty on Pakistani exports by Afghan government had badly affected Pakistani exports, saying that the return of various items of the Afghan Transit Trade to Pakistani markets was a matter of great concern for Pakistani traders.

The trade activities between the two countries, he said, had decreased alarmingly during the past three years. As Pakistan had been facilitating Afghan traders through the Afghan transit trade the Afghan government should also do so, he said, adding that by this way Pakistani traders would be able to have trade links with Central Asian countries.

He said a delegation of the Nangrahar Chamber of Commerce and Industry would visit Sarhad Chamber in July to review the trade activities and take further effective steps for improvement of trade and commerce.

APP ADDS: The agreement was inked in the wake of daylong trade conference organised by Governor of Ningarhar Gul Agha Sherzai at Jalalabad.