This was stated by the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

He was talking to a delegation of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry which called on him at the CM House here on Tuesday.

Qaim Ali Shah said that this was a good platform and would help further promote the bilateral trade between the two countries.

He was of the view that the better trade relations would also prove to be beneficial for the people of the two countries.

The Chief Minister believed that the Afghan route would help Pakistan's access to the Central Asian States and would further enhance the trade opportunities.

Speaking on the occasion, the joint-chairman/president of the Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Khan Jan Olakzai, thanked for the warm welcome extended to the members of the delegation.

He said that ` we want to foster bilateral trade' and added the private sector can be very helpful in this regard. He pointed out that before coming to Pakistan, we had called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai and informed him about the initiative.

The Afghan President had expressed his pleasure on the move, he added. Meanwhile, the Sindh Chief Minister presented the traditional gifts of Ajrak and Sindhi cap to the members of the delegation.

The Chairman of the Board of Investment, Zubair Motiwala, was also present on the occasion.