PESHAWAR: The business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has demanded the opening of Pak-Afghan borders at Torkham and Chaman for six days a week to enhance bilateral trade and filling the shortage of vegetables and other essentials in Afghanistan.
The call was made during a meeting held here at the office of the KP Board of Investment & Trade (KP-BoIT) with Special Assistant to KP CM on Industries and Commerce, Abdul Karim Khan in the chair, according to a press release issued here on Monday.
Afghan Consul-General Najibullah Ahmadzai, Afghan Trade Attaché Mohammad Fawad Arsh, First Secretary Afghanistan Ghulam Habib Sabaq, Deputy Afghan Trade Attaché Dr Hameedullah, KP-BoIT Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hassan Daud Butt, KP FPCCI Coordinator Sartaj Ahmad Khan, former Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) senior vice president Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, Shahid Hussain and Shahid Shinwari attended the meeting.
The participants of the meeting demanded the opening of Torkham Border for a period of six days a week as a good gesture during coronavirus lockdown to promote Pak-Afghan bilateral trade.
The meeting also discussed the issues of the stranding of over 7000 Afghan transit trade loaded containers in different parts of the country from Karachi to Khyber and thousands of empty containers in Afghanistan, problems of transporters and charging of additional charges in the head of detention and demurrage charges also came under discussion during the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, Special Assistant to KP CM on Industries and Commerce, Abdul Karim Khan directed the CEO KP-BoIT for holding meetings with the Ministries of Commerce and Interior for an increase in bilateral trade with Afghanistan and minimizing of hurdles in transit trade and taking steps for guaranteeing the supply of food items to Afghanistan as a good gesture.
He assured all possible cooperation to the business community for minimising hurdles in Pak-Afghan bilateral and transit trade.
“The history of Pak-Afghan trade is centuries old and people living on both sides of the border share the shared language, religion and nation,” he added.
