Afghanistan and Pakistan have removed all trade barriers that will give a boost to trade and commerce between the neighbours, TOLOnews quoted the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce as saying. 

“The Ministry of Industry and Commerce under the leadership of Minister Nisar Ahmad Ghoryani is making all its efforts to remove all barriers in the way of the private sector in trade and commerce with Pakistan,” said Fawad Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

With the removal of trade obstructions, Afghan officials believe, the country’s export to Pakistan will double by next year. 

The upside swing in trade relations comes after the first official visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan to Afghanistan. 

Just before Khan’s visit a Pakistan’s trade delegation headed by Khan’s commerce advisor, Abdul Razak Dawood, had held the deliberations with Afghan officials during a two-day visit in Kabul. Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), Preferential Trade Agreement were among the several issues discussed there. 

Afghan officials informed that around 21 issues that were raised by private industry players from Afghanistan have been resolved in the past weeks. A trade delegation from Afghanistan will soon visit Pakistan to sort out further outstanding issues, Afghan officials added.

The trade volume between the two nations is currently less than $1 billion, a reduction from the earlier level of $3billion.