LANDIKOTAL
The business community on Friday welcomed China’s efforts to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan and called for a permanent mechanism to prevent political and security disputes from disrupting bilateral trade and transit.
Senior Vice President of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, who is also president of the Frontier Customs Agents Association (FCAA) and an executive member of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), expressed while talking to journalists.
He said China was uniquely positioned to play a constructive role in resolving disputes between the two neighbouring countries because of its strong ties with both sides and its strategic interest in promoting peace, stability, trade and regional connectivity.
Zia said prolonged closures and repeated suspension of trade, transit and cross-border connectivity between Pakistan and Afghanistan had caused huge losses to traders, industrialists, transporters, customs agents, labourers and millions of ordinary citizens in both countries.
He said the business community, after suffering such heavy losses, had legitimate concerns about what guarantees would prevent trade and transit from being suspended again because of future political or security disputes.
He proposed that any future agreement between the two countries should include a clear clause stating that trade, transit and regional connectivity would not be used as instruments of political pressure or suspended because of political disputes.
“Instead, any political or security dispute should be resolved through a permanent consultative and dispute-resolution mechanism, while legitimate trade activities and the movement of goods continue under mutually agreed security protocols,” he said.
Zia suggested that China could help establish a trade and transit guarantee mechanism involving representatives of the private sectors of Pakistan, Afghanistan and China.
He said the mechanism could oversee implementation of agreements, facilitate emergency consultations and help prevent disputes from escalating into prolonged border closures.
He stressed that Afghanistan was a vital gateway for Pakistan to Central Asia and said the two countries were geographically and economically interconnected.
“If trade routes are repeatedly closed, businesses will eventually shift to alternative routes and suppliers,” he warned, stressing that borders and trade routes should not be closed without valid justification.
He said political differences between neighbouring countries were not unusual, but trade should not become a victim of political disputes, nor should ordinary citizens, traders and workers be forced to bear their consequences.
“The business community requires predictable conditions, continuity, security and reliable guarantees to invest with confidence,” he said.
Zia said China had a historic opportunity to help Pakistan and Afghanistan move away from recurring tensions towards institutionalised economic cooperation.
He added that a reliable guarantee mechanism established with China’s support could help restore confidence in trade, transit and regional connectivity and lay the foundation for long-term economic cooperation among Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Central Asia.
“Trade should serve as a bridge between nations, and China’s constructive role could prove instrumental in shaping a more stable, integrated and prosperous region,” he concluded.
