ISLAMABAD: The representatives of Quetta Chamber of Commerce informed the Senate Standing Committee on Finance at length about the major challenges being faced by local businessmen in carrying out trade activities through the Pakistan-Iran and the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas, a statement said.
The businessmen also highlighted that despite importing hundreds of items from Iran, Pakistan exports only 10 items to the neighbouring country, exposing a stark imbalance in bilateral trade, the statement added.
As per the details, Quetta chamber president Muhammad Ayub Mariani, senior vice president Haji Akhtar Kakar, vice president engineer Mir Wais Khan, and others stated that not only had they conveyed the obstacles in bilateral trade with Iran and Afghanistan to the higher authorities, but also held dialogues with Afghan and Iranian officials in that regard.
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The participants were informed that due to the requirement of the Electronic Import Form (EIF) form, bilateral trade had come to a halt, and Pakistani cargo trucks were being held in Iran unnecessarily for 15 to 20 days.
Complaints were also made about the increase in attestation and visa fees.
They also discussed the Joint Economic Forum and Joint Border Trade Committee with Iran, lamenting that the recommendations of the Economic Forum and Joint Border Committee had not been implemented by either country.
The businessmen demanded the inclusion of officials from the federal ministries of Commerce and Finance, as well as the prime minister’s representatives, in the merging of the Economic Forum and Joint Border Trade Committee, so that matters could reach a logical conclusion.
They expressed reservations about the reopening and then closure of the Badini border, the reopening of Qamaruddin Karez border, inactivity of border markets, and other issues, and presented suggestions.
The businessmen stated that if cold storage and LPG terminals and other issues at Chaman and Taftan borders were resolved, trade volume with neighboring countries could be significantly increased.
On the occasion, committee chairman Saleem Mandviwalla said for the past six months, they had been receiving complaints in Islamabad regarding Pakistan-Iran and Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral trade issues.
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Some issues would be resolved on the spot, while others would be conveyed to higher authorities, he added.
Mandviwalla said mentioned that the Iranian Consul General had given them a list of issues, and Balochistan’s business community also shared their problems. They would be presented to the Iranian president and the high-level delegation accompanying him, he added.
Iran President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian is due to visit Pakistan on August 2 (Saturday) for a two-day trip.
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