ISLAMABAD: Amid concerns over slow implementation of decisions taken in the past, Pakistan and Afghanis­tan discussed on Monday concepts of two major projects — import of 2,000MW electricity from Turkmenis­tan and development of Gwadar-Helmand road link.

These were the main issues taken up at the 10th session of the Joint Economic Commission which concluded here on Monday. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and his Afghan counterpart Eklil Ahmad Hakimi led their delegations.

Also read: Pakistan ready to help Afghanistan in its quest for peace, says Nawaz

Addressing a joint news conference, Finance Minister Dar said the two sides had discussed the concept of importing 2,000MW electricity from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan. The Afghan side agreed to facilitate the process and be part of talks with Turkmenistan and allow the transmission line to pass through their territory.

Mr Dar said Pakistan was ready to sign a 30-year agreement for electricity import from Turkmenistan.

The minister said Afghanistan had agreed to give up in favour of Pakistan its 150MW share of the 1,300MW Central Asia South Asia (CASA) electricity import from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan without any transit fee.

Development of Gwadar-Helmand road also reviewed by Joint Economic Commission

This will be in addition to 1,000MW of the same project that Islamabad would receive on payment of a transit fee at 1.25 cents per unit (Kwh).

He said a formal agreement on CASA-1000 power supply was signed on Monday in Istanbul. Apart from 1,000MW for Pakistan, the project entailed 300MW to Afghanistan, half of which would now be available to Pakistan. He said Pakistan was ready to purchase even the remaining 150MW of Afghan share if it was not required there.

Mr Dar said the two sides had also discussed the road link between Gwadar and Helmand that would be an extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Mr Hakimi said Afghanistan wanted timely implementation of the agenda agreed during the visit of President Ashraf Ghani to Pakistan. He said the two sides identified some gaps in the decisions and discussed steps on their implementation mechanism.

“We have agreed to remove those gaps and hope to go towards more focused implementation in a tangible manner.”

Mr Hakimi said the two sides had been working on timely realisation of a 48-point agenda by resolving issues in the coming months.

Mr Dar said the two sides had decided to hold the 6th round of finance ministers’ talks under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade Coordination Committee in March next year in Kabul. Talks on a preferential trade agreement will be held around the same time.

The next JEC meeting will be held by the end of next year in Kabul. The two sides also discussed the Chaman-Kandahar railway line project and progress on Torkham-Jalalabad road.

Mr Dar said Pakistan’s vision of a ‘peaceful and prosperous’ neighbourhood meant stable and cooperative ties with Afghanistan because a peaceful, prosperous and progressive Afgha­nistan and brotherly ties were beneficial for both and would serve to enhance peace and security in the two countries.

He said most of the decisions taken at the last JEC session and during the visit of President Ashraf Ghani in November last year had been implemented, but there were “still some decisions that need to be implemented on a faster pace”.

He said the current volume of trade between the two countries was far below its potential and the two countries would have to work hard to meet the target of $5 billion trade till 2017 as agreed in February last year. They also agreed that the proposed preferential trade agreement would go a long way in achieving that goal.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2015