PESHAWAR, Dec 21: Peshawar is largely anticipated to get restored its historical status of being gateway to Central Asian region with US-backed and UN-sponsored peace prospects looming large to put the war-torn Afghanistan back on track to normalcy.
Trade and industrial circles in Peshawar appeared to be optimistic about getting due share in central Asian markets and more specifically in the reconstruction of Afghanistan provided long lasting peace finds its way back to Afghanistan and government of Pakistan manages to ensure good working relations with a government in Kabul predominantly consisted of Afghan groups not friendly to Islamabad.
Transit facility to Afghanistan under an international treaty would continue to be a troublesome affair for Islamabad, the smuggling menace hampering economic growth by limiting the scope of local manufacturing sector might well get aggravated if Afghanistan fails to get stability and become economically friendly for its own investors.
Peshawar’s trade and business circles, especially those involved in smuggling of goods from Afghanistan to Pakistan, believed that the infiltration of foreign goods from Afghanistan to this side of the border was likely to increase.
To help Pakistan keep intact its role in Afghanistan, said the analysts, Islamabad might need to give concessions to tribal chieftains dominating the Pakhtoon dominated eastern zone of Afghanistan in terms of going soft on smuggling.
Similarly, these tribal chieftains — having made huge investments in the smuggling business — would also use the same card to win concessions from the Northern Alliance for the safe passage to their consignments after getting cleared from Herat on way to Pakistan via Kabul, Jalalabad and Torkham.
Industrial circles in Peshawar believe that NWFP industrial sector’s prospects to stand on its feet largely depends on stability and economic activities in Afghanistan encouraging the investors of the war-ravaged country to divert their investments towards businesses other than import business meant to smuggle goods to Pakistan to feed its over expanding markets.
Trade circles believe that Islamabad could effectively curb smuggling from Afghanistan and help its industrial sector prosper.
“That would help Pakistan not only to earn foreign exchange, all the more it would help promote industrial sector especially of NWFP and Punjab,” said Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, a leading businessmen involved in import-export business.