ISLAMABAD, May 6: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday decided to re-establish air links and in this connection Ariana and Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIA) have agreed to resume one flight a week between Kabul and Islamabad from current month.

A press release issued in this regard said that it was expected that after the signing of the formal agreement, the frequency of flights between the capitals and other locations in the two countries would increase.

This was decided here by a five-member Afghanistan delegation led by Mr Hedayat Amin Arsala, Vice Chairman of Interim Administration of Afghanistan and Finance Minister at a meeting with Pakistan counterpart Shaukat Aziz.

Hedayat Amin Arsala is on a visit to review the progress so far achieved in the bilateral relations between the two countries.

The two ministers agreed that a tremendous amount of goodwill between the peoples of two countries existed which had been further augmented by the visit of President Pervez Musharraf to Afghanistan and a return visit by Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karazai.

This goodwill will gradually translate into meaningful economic relationship between the two countries.

The two sides reviewed the ongoing trade between the two countries.

Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz informed Mr Hedayat that the outgoing truck traffic, excluding light vehicles from Chamman and Torkham to Afghanistan during month of April, was 5400 carrying goods worth Rs1.1 billion.

Speaking on the occasion, the Afghan minister said that the Afghan Interim Government had completed the ground work on rural development, community development, infrastructure, education, financial administration and capacity building.

The work on these projects would commence in the next few months. He further said that private sector’s activities in Afghanistan in the field of housing, small hotels and small and medium enterprises had picked up.

The Pakistani Minister said that Pakistani entrepreneurs have

Two sides also discussed establishment of a Joint Commission between Pakistan Afghanistan to provide institutionalized mechanism for promotion of bilateral economic ties. The establishment of banks in the two countries by the respective sides was also discussed.