PESHAWAR, July 12: The North West Frontier Province’s trade and business circles want Islamabad to set up bank branches in Afghanistan to help promote trade and business between the two neighbouring countries.

They say that in the absence of a proper banking system in Afghanistan the businessmen from Pakistan have to face immense difficulties in transferring money to and from the war- torn country.

Sarwar Khan Mohmand, former president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), said that the government should extend its banks’ network to Afghanistan to facilitate the Pakistani business and trade community in their bids to capture their due share in the Afghan markets.

Businessmen talking to Dawn said that Islamabad should evolve a prudent policy to explore the increasing economic opportunities in Afghanistan.

“This would also help Pakistan’s business to enter the consumer markets of the Central Asian Republics (CARs),” said Inam-ur-Rehman, a local trader.

Sarwar Mohmand, who has been carrying out business with Afghanistan for the last several years, said that there existed greater investment opportunities in Afghanistan for the Pakistani investors.

The reconstruction and rehabilitation works inside Afghanistan, said Mohmand, had brought tremendous opportunities for the businessmen community of Pakistan and the time was ripe for the people of Pakistan to gain.

However, for trade it was essential that the government of Pakistan should ensure stability and consistency in its trade policies towards Afghanistan, he said.

In this regard, Islamabad should ensure that the financial assistance it had announced for Afghanistan should be utilized in the best possible way. “It should be utilized to construct the Jalalabad-Kabul road.”

“Islamabad is not exploring the increasing trade and business opportunities in Afghanistan in a way some of the other countries including Iran, India, Turkey and Japan are pursuing their objectives by getting involved in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan,” said Mohmand.