RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Smuggling is obstructing legal trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This issue should be tackled through rationalization and removing the tariff barriers.

Secretary General of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry Faiza Zubair expressed these views while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday.

Faiza Zubair said that smuggling should be eliminated with iron hands as it is equally destructive for the both countries. She said that regulatory duty imposed by Afghanistan on Pakistani goods is 400 times more than that of imposed by Pakistan on Afghani products.

She said that mutual trade cannot grow in the presence of such duty structure.

She further said there is a need of an export house to ensure check and balance which will check the specifications of export goods of both the countries before full payment that will help overcome trust deficit.

She said that Afghan businessman love to work in Lahore and they needed progressive support of the Lahore Chamber in this regard as they face some problems in getting reservation in hotels. The Lahore Chamber should forward a comprehensive proposal about bilateral trade problems and their solutions in Afghanistan and central Asia, she added.

She said economically and socially we can resolve the political issues of both the countries. That’s why we are going to arrange a grand combine meeting of all the chambers to discuss the export issue of the countries, she maintained.

LCCI Acting President Khawaja Khawar Rashid said that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan directly affect the trade between the two countries. Pakistan is the best option for exports and imports for Afghanistan. In 2010-11, the total volume of transit trade was $3.8 billion which was exceeded to $3.5 billion in 2015-16.

In 2016-17 with a decline, the trade volume remained $2.9 billion. But hopefully it would be $3 billion by the end of 2017-18, he said.