PESHAWAR: Office-bearers of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) on Friday discussed the ways to enhance Pak-Afghan trade and regional connectivity with high-ups of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

The meeting was presided over by Lt-General Sarfaraz and attended by PAJCCI chairman Zubair Motiwala, president Junaid Makda, senior VP Ziaul Haq Sarhadi and VP Pervez Lala, former director Shahid Hussain, and former PAJCCI president Jawaid Bilwani, according to a news release.

It added that the meeting focused on several key issues as well as improved reserves, reduced dollar rate and decreased smuggling, along with the international confidence in Pakistan reflected through visits of high-profile delegations.

The PAJCCI leaders, however, voiced concerns about the challenges facing Pakistan-Afghanistan trade, and feared that the vital $2.76 billion market could be lost to regional competitors if restrictive policies continued.

Chamber leaders call for measures to revive Pak-Afghan trade

They complained about the suspension of transit trade and its shift to Iran’s Chabahar port, highlighting the $300 million annual revenue loss and the rise of informal trade.

The PAJCCI leaders rejected the imposition of two per cent Infrastructure Development Cess by the KP government, saying the move has negatively impacted exports and trade with Central Asia.

The participants discussed the impact of recent SROs on Afghan transit trade, which, they said, caused an 80 per cent decline in trade value, and the retaliatory tariffs imposed by Afghanistan on Pakistani goods.

Mr Motiwala saidbusiness should be separated from politics to ensure trade growth. He called for the implementation of rail-based cargo systems, establishment of banking channels on border points, and development of joint tracking systems with Afghan businesses to reduce smuggling.

He also advocated for digitisation of border trade and speedy processes for faster currency declarations.

The PAJCCI leaders recommended resolution of the issue of 10 per cent processing fee and IDC through collaborative forums, the formation of working groups to tackle specific trade challenges, and improvement of trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Mr Sarhadi appreciated the SIFC initiative to invite businessmen for streamlining Pak-Afghan trade but complained that the bilateral trade had been constantly declining for the last several months. He demanded special measures for trade revival.

He hoped that such measures would help restore Pak-Afghan trade, which had the potential of more than $3 billion on an annual basis and could benefit millions of people on both sides of the border.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024