Pakistan and Afghanistan gave a go-ahead to initiate a luxury bus service between the two states at the end of the next month and increase the operational timings at all crossing points, Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi, and Chaman-Spin Boldak.
The three-day bilateral dialogues were held in Kabul, which concluded on Wednesday and both the sides also agreed on various steps to guarantee early clearance and free movement of trade traffic and increase efficiency in goods clearance.
The meetings in the Afghan capital were held from July 18-20 led by Pakistan’s Commerce Secretary Muhammad Sualeh Ahmed Faruqui and Afghanistan’s Acting Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi, along with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
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The main intention to visit the bordering country was to discuss mutual measures for increasing bilateral trade, transit, and connectivity and to take essential trade facilitation actions in view of addressing the problems faced by the importers, and exporters from both sides.
Sources said that the Pakistani delegation comprised representatives from all concerned ministries and departments like economic interaction, transit, trade, commercial exchanges, and boosting facilitation at all border crossing points.
Both sides agreed to make all possible efforts to start luxury bus service in Quetta and Kandahar and between Peshawar and Jalalabad by end of August this year.
Moreover, both the leaders noted that during the existing financial year, bilateral trade and transit had posted a growth. They highlighted that this drive must be sustained and further boosted on a mutually beneficial basis.
They also decided to implement the Temporary Admission Document (TAD), agreeing on free movement of bilateral trade vehicles and stopping loading and unloading of goods at the border crossing considering further increasing the bilateral trade.
Furthermore, they also agreed to work together and develop mutually connected custom procedures to enhance efficiency in goods’ clearance.
Meanwhile, the issues regarding visa processing were also discussed during the meeting. The two sides reaffirmed to preserve regular coordination for applying these understandings and further developing economic cooperation.
