ISLAMABAD - In a landmark development, Pakistan and Afghanistan on Saturday agreed to extend the Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade Transit Agreement (APTTA) to Tajikistan in what will be the first step for the establishment of a North- South trade corridor. The countries concerned were involved in hectic efforts for years to set up the corridor.
This move would subsequently be extended to other neighboring Central Asian states including Uzbekistan, Kyrghizstan and Turkmenistan after the initiation of the first link. Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan as well as the states with sophisticated rail and motorway links with the Russian federation, would also be considered in the arrangement.
Highly placed diplomatic sources told The News on Saturday that Federal Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who undertook the initiative a few weeks ago in this regard, was informed by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf about the understanding that he developed early this week in his maiden one-day visit to the Afghan capital.
The federal minister will undertake the visit to Afghanistan immediately after Ramazan for furthering the talks for the establishment of the corridor so that the three countries could ink a comprehensive agreement after bringing Tajikistan on board, the source said.
The proposed agreement will also provide facilities to Tajikistan to use Pakistan's Gwadar and Karachi ports for its imports and exports while Pakistan will enjoy trade with Tajikistan under terms similar to the transit arrangement with Afghanistan.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim — who held an important meeting with Prime Minister Ashraf on Friday — felicitated him on the success that he had achieved on his visit to Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been also pushing for the proposal, the source added. The Afghan government has also agreed to grant multiple entry visas to the businessmen of Pakistan who were facing problems in getting the same.
The issue of visas came under discussion during bilateral talks with the Afghan delegation when visiting Prime Minister Ashraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai sat across the table in Kabul on Thursday. The decision is expected to boost economic and trade relations to a level that is hoped to be beneficial to the people of both countries.
It is also understood that the growth of trade and commerce hinges on the facilitation provided by the respective host countries to the businessmen of other countries. Sources added that the Afghan government is prepared to accommodate Pakistani experts and engineers in the IT sector, especially since Afghanistan successfully launched 3G-communication technology in the country.
Interestingly, Pakistan is still struggling for attaining this goal and Federal Secretary Information Technology Farooq Awan has said he is hopeful of introducing 3G technology in Pakistan within a couple of months. (Monitoring Desk)