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Pakistan offers industrial parks in Afghanistan

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has offered to explore the possibility of establishing industrial parks in Afghanistan and in the Pak-Afghan border areas to fight poverty.

Pakistan came up with the offer during the fifth session of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) held on July 23-24 in Kabul, says a press release issued here on Monday.

The session was co-chaired by Dr Salman Shah, adviser to the prime minister on finance and revenue, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and Dr Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi, minister of finance, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The Afghan delegation appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to streamline the transit trade regime and the generous cash and project assistance provided by Pakistan at a crucial time in Afghanistan’s history.

The Afghan government acknowledged that the transportation and handling of Afghan transit goods have considerably improved during the last three years. They requested Pakistan to further streamline the handling mechanism in order to facilitate transit transportation.

Both sides reviewed the trade figures and expressed their deep satisfaction over the encouraging trends in the bilateral trade. Bilateral trade has grown manifold since 2000-2001, and reached $ 540 million in 2003-2004 and $1.2 billion in 2004-2005.

The Pakistan side pointed out that keeping in view the changing global economy, both the countries decided to take effective steps to further improve business-to-business interaction and enhance bilateral trade through further streamlining procedures, holding single country exhibitions and establishment of a joint chambers of commerce and industry. Both sides agreed to constitute Pak-Afghan Joint Custom Committee to examine issues relating to trade and transit trade. The committee will submit proposals on appropriate solutions.

The Pakistan side pointed out that changing global economic trends demand closer regional interaction. It was high time both countries took positive steps towards economic integration. Both countries also needed to take initiatives to open up their economies and explore possibilities of enhancing trade, stressed the Pakistani delegates.

The Afghanistan side appreciated the technical assistance provided by Pakistan to train Afghan customs officials, diplomats, postal officials, police officials, bankers and accountants.

Pakistan offered to also provide training in other areas. The Afghan officials requested for training of Afghan police personnel, Afghan postal staff and Afghan staff of Audit and Accounts in Pakistan. Pakistan accepted the proposals and requested the Afghan authorities to convey their requirements for the purpose.

Pakistan is establishing a network of roads connecting Karachi Port, Port Qasim and Gwadar Port to Afghanistan to facilitate bilateral trade sand develop trade links to the Central Asian Republics. Pakistan will establish 12 customs stations at the Pak-Afghan border and state-of-the-art facilities are being set up at Torkham and Chaman for trade facilitation and speedy cargo clearance.

The Pakistan side also informed the Afghan side that Pakistan attaches high priority to stability and economic development of Afghanistan. We have always been staunch supporters of all initiatives of the international community for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, they said. The JEC was informed that $49.926 million had been utilized out of the $100 million development assistance announced by Pakistan in 2002 for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan.

The Pakistan delegation made a presentation on progress on various projects like Chamn-Gwadar railway line, rehabilitation of Torkham-Jalalabad Road, Ghulam Khan Khost Road, power transmission lines to Khost, provision of 200 trucks, 100 buses, 38 ambulances, assistance for Kabul University, rehabilitatin of schools, faculty block in Bulkh University, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kidney Centre at Jalalabad and construction of a 150-bed hospital along with a 50-bed thalassaemia centre in Afghanistan.

Both sides agreed that efforts would be made to improve the network of roads, including Torkham-Jalalabad Road. to create trade access to Central Asia through Afghanistan. Both the countries agreed to establish a joint committee to ensure prompt implementation of the decisions of the JEC and also decided to convene the next meeting of the JEC in Islamabad.

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