The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) and the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PAJCCI) have discussed collaborating and working jointly for promoting the Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral trade and economic relations that would bring prosperity for both countries.
These views were exchanged during a meeting of Ms. Faiza, Secretary General, PAJCCI, Pakistan Chapter with President ICCI Muhammad Shakeel Munir during her visit to ICCI on Thursday. Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh Senior Vice President, Baser Daud former President ICCI, Saboor Malik PAJCCI Pakistan Director and others were also present at the occasion.
Speaking at the occasion, Muhammad Shakeel Munir said that according to some estimates, Pakistan and Afghanistan have the potential to increase bilateral trade up to US $8 billion to $10 billion annually and emphasized that both countries should facilitate the private sectors to capitalize on this vast potential. He stressed that all hurdles in the way of smooth flow of trade should be removed by either side with mutual consultations. He further said that the number of scanners at the Torkham border should be increased to expedite the goods handling. The ICCI President said that Pakistan could export a wide range of products to Afghanistan including marble & granites, steel, cement, bricks, food products, pharmaceuticals, electrical goods, clothes, fruits and many other items while it could import fresh and dry fruits from Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan provided shortest and cheapest connectivity to Afghanistan with the rest of the world while Afghanistan provided easy access .
