Speakers underscore need for enhancing Pak-Afghan trade, exports to CARs

PESHAWAR: The improvement in Pak-Afghan bilateral trade and exports to the Central Asian Republics is imperative to enhance regional trade as well as bringing economic prosperity and development in the country.

A proper mechanism should be designed at governmental level to remove hurdles to enhance bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, participants said during a meeting held at the chamber house on Tuesday between president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hasnain Khurshid Ahmad and Vice Chairman Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade (KPBOIT) and Honorary Consul General of Tajikistan in Peshawar, Engineer Said Mehmood.

The participants emphasized it is a dire need of hour to take proactive measures to facilitate the business community on both sides of the border. They called for taking full benefits from the Afghanistan market and onward to regional countries to enhance regional trade via landlocked Afghanistan.

The speakers also asserted the traders should be facilitated and resolve their issues on priority basis.

The meeting was attended by SCCI senior vice president Imran Khan Mohmand, former FPCCI president Ghazanfar Bilour, former SCCI president Zahidullah Shinwari, president Industrialist Association Peshawar Malik Imran Ishaq, former senior vice presidents Engineer Manzoor Elahi, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, CEO KPBOIT Hassan Daud Butt, Laiq Zada and others.

Said Mehmood said the traders should take full benefit from the Afghanistan market and give boost to bilateral trade and economic relations by launching joint ventures and programmes.

He asked the SCCI members to play their due role in improving mutual trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The vice chairman invited the business community to participate in Dubai Expo 2020, saying that from January 1 to 31, has been dedicated for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during which an investment conference will be held from January 15 to 17, 2022, so he asked the business community to display their project in the exhibition, which would help to bring economic prosperity, development as well as create employment opportunities in the province.

Zahidulllah Shinwari, former president emphasized the need of resolving Afghan traders’ registration issue, removal of hurdles and anti-business laws/rules to carry out smooth business and trade.

Ghazanfar Bilour welcomed the establishment of new special economic zones in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the business community is fully committed to play their due role in the economic development of the province. He assured the KPBOIT that the business community will fully participate in Dubai Expo 2020.

Malik Imran Ishaq also spoke on the occasion and briefed the meeting regarding collection of double taxation from industrial estate and other issues of industrialists.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021