The Afghan-Pakistan border. (Photo: EPA)
Afghanistan, being a landlocked country, depends on its trading route with neighboring Pakistan to get its exports to world markets. However, these two countries have an unstable political relationship.
Due to increase in political instability between the two countries in the last couple of months, Pakistan’s top foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz paid a visit to Afghanistan in order to reduce the ongoing friction between the two countries.
The foreign affairs adviser to the prime minister visited the Afghan capital Kabul on September 4 for a regional economic conference and also held meetings with the president, foreign minister and national security adviser.
In his statement on state television about his meeting with Ghani, he said, “The main thing that the both side agreed upon was to restore trust, end the blame game against each other and create a positive atmosphere.”
Aziz also confirmed that the Afghan finance minister would visit Pakistan in the first week of November to attend a meeting of a joint economic commission to discuss and expand trade ties.
Both sides have committed to double trade volumes between the two countries to $5 billion in the next three years. The business communities in both countries are committed and striving hard to bring the private sector of the two brotherly nations to the table without succumbing to any unrelated political or cultural influence.
During a recent meeting with the U.S. Consul General, the president of the Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (PAJCCI) Pakistan chapter, Zubair Motiwala, reiterated that the chamber would take all steps to promote bilateral trade across the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and to bring the “parallel trade” into the formal economy.
The two sides realize that there is still a long way to go to achieve tangible results but they appreciate that peace and prosperity is an important feature for continuity of the long lasting trading relationship between the two countries.
Moin Fudda is Country Director for CIPE Pakistan.
