June 14, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 09, 1429

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.

The Afghan government was represented by Afghanistan ministers for finance, external affairs, transport, deputy governor Ningharar, members of parliament, director general customs, president Nangrahar Chamber of Commerce and Industry. President SCCI Haji Mohammad Asif and Collector Customs Peshawar Rozi Khan Barki represented Pakistan in the conference.

Developing trade between the two countries like enhancement of Pak-Afghan bilateral trade, measures to minimise hurdles in the trade between the two states, revision of Afghan Transit Trade Agreement of 1965, withdrawal of duty by Afghan government on Pakistani exports, ensuring availability of Railway wagon for the goods of Afghan transit trade and reduction in fare of NLC were few salient features of the agreement.