QUETTA: Pakistan and Iran on Wednesday signed a 32-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost bilateral trade and provide more facilities to people involved in the border trade and other business activities.

The MoU was signed at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the Pak-Iran Joint Border Trade Committee in Zahidan, the capital of Iran’s border province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

The Chief Collector of Customs, Balochistan, Mohammad Sadiq, and the General Manager of Industry, Mines and Trade Organisation of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, Eraj Hassanpur, signed the MoU.

President of Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) Fida Hussain Dashti, Senior Vice President of QCCI Haji Ayub Mariani, QCCI Vice President Amjad Ali Siddiqui, Arshad Habib Khan and other members of the Pakistan delegation attended the MoU signing ceremony.

Under the MoU, the two countries agreed to ensure complete cooperation between the two countries to achieve the five-year Strategic Trade Cooperation Goals by removing all hurdles to bilateral trade.

It was also agreed in the meeting to make business crossings at Mand Pishin functional and establish Customs and other administrative offices in Ramdan Gabd and Kohak Panjgur and also make them functional within two months.

In the first phase of the implementation of the agreement, six joint border markets on both sides of the two countries would be established and activated. Special Economic Zones would be set up in Mirjaweh, Gwadar and Chabahar and Sistan to facilitate access of private sector workers in them.

Under the agreement, 30 per cent of Pakistani freight vehicles would be allowed entry to Zahidan and 30 per cent of Iran’s freight vehicles would be allowed entry to Quetta.

It was also agreed to import and export goods through trains, promote tourism between the two countries and enhance mutual cooperation to help educate the youth in technical education.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2022