Afghan containers blockade issue to be resolved in 10 days

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday assured Afghanistan that it would resolve within 7-10 days the issue of 700 Afghan containers held up under the policy to block Nato supply routes. Both countries have also resolved to jack up the current trade volume of $2.5 billion to $5 billion by 2015.

Finance minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and his Afghan counterpart Hazrat Omar Zakhiwal said this at a press briefing after the end of a two-day joint economic commission (JEC) meeting.

Sources in the FBR told The News that Pakistan’s security agencies identified about 285 containers used by Nato forces in Afghanistan and took them into custody under the current policy of not letting NATO containers enter Afghanistan. However, Afghan authorities are insisting that the said containers do not belong to Nato forces but are commercial containers belonging to the Afghan business community.

According to these sources, the Frontier Constabulary has taken into custody 285 containers from the US, but the Kabul administration claims that these containers belong to Afghan businessmen and have nothing to do with Nato forces.

Hafeez Sheikh said Pakistan has offered Afghanistan machinery and equipment to develop hydropower, road, construction and mining sectors in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan would help Afghanistan build a hydel power project on the River Kabul. Similarly, OGDCL, SSGC and SNGPL will provide assistance in oil and gas exploration and transmission.

The minister said issues pertaining to transit trade between the two countries under the Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement would be resolved as early as possible. He said insurance guarantees would be further discussed to resolve the issue. He said both countries had agreed to establish a joint chamber of commerce and industry to identify areas for promoting bilateral trade and investment. Both sides have also agreed to establish display centres at Kabul and Karachi for the promotion of bilateral trade.

The Afghan minister said that the potential of enhancing trade between the two countries had unfortunately remained unutilised and the political will in this regard had not translated into tangible results.

The Afghan minister said there were many hurdles for Afghan transit goods from Pakistan and stressed their removal. He said investors from all over the world were coming to Afghanistan but Pakistani investors were reluctant due to misperceptions. He said Afghanistan would welcome Pakistani investment in road, construction and mineral sectors and Afganistan could be a bridge connecting South and Central Asian.

Hafeez Sheikh said that the meeting also reviewed progress on 29 projects being developed in Afghanistan under Pakistan’s $300 million assistance. He said both countries agreed to expedite the completion of the Torkham-Jalalabad highway within one year since 70 percent construction work has already been completed.

He said Pakistan has also asked Afghanistan to provide an encroachment free route to initiate the process for establishing the Chamman-Spinboldak-Kandhar railway line. He said setting up of the Liaquat Ali Khan Engineering faculty, Nishtar Kidney Centre, 2000 scholarships for Afghan students, CASA 1000 and TAPI pipeline were also discussed.