Saturday, June 30, 2012
Kabul (BNA) Afghan-Pakistan co-commerce chamber started its activities, while Afghan merchants facing increasing problems in Pakistan and have not used their transit rights as it required.
BNA economical commentator writes:
Recently Afghan-Pak co-commerce chambers, holding a meeting with participation of Afghan and Pakistani traders started its activities’ in Kabul city.
The main purpose of this chamber is solving the problems of Afghan and Pakistani traders in both countries. The chamber which is run jointly has the duty to raise the problems of traders with relevant authorities and to find ways for their solutions.
While Afghanistan and Pakistan are committed to an agreement already signed on transit rights, but Afghan businessmen who mostly deliver their commercial goods via Pakistan, are facing serious problems.
It is repeatedly experienced that the Afghan merchandize goods, have been arrested in Karachi and Guarder ports, which caused the goods to be damaged.
This problem is very serious when Afghan farmers collect their crop and want to send them to the world markets, via Pakistan.
Also imposing high taxes, delaying the export, of these fruits and making other pretexts, cause heavy losses for both Afghan government and its businessmen’s while Pakistan has developed its commercial ties with central Asian countries via Afghanistan and daily 100s Pakistani tracks carrying Pakistani goods and products pass through Afghanistan soil aiming the central Asian countries, but Afghan drivers have no right to pass Torkham border line.
Political experts believe, there are certain groups in neighboring countries, among them Pakistan, misusing the situation of Afghanistan as a land locked country, its security situation land transit issues, create problems for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, as it respects the rights of its neighbors and endeavors for regional cooperation and economical growth and observer the transit rights for other countries by creating a safe transit rout, expects those countries, to cooperate with Afghans within international transit law and avoid creating problems.
Afghan merchants, expect Afghan-Pakistan joint chamber, especially Pakistan section to cooperate their Afghan counterparts, by establishing in atmosphere of trust and mutual cooperation, which is a need for economic growth as a whole.
Therefore, it is a time to avoid negative rivalries, supremacy and hegemony and to seek to establish an atmosphere of regional cooperation which meets the benefit of all countries.
