LANDIKOTAL
\nThe business community on Friday welcomed China\u2019s 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.
\nSenior 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.
\nHe 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.
\nZia 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.
\nHe 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.
\nHe 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.
\n\u201cInstead, 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,\u201d he said.
\nZia suggested that China could help establish a trade and transit guarantee mechanism involving representatives of the private sectors of Pakistan, Afghanistan and China.
\nHe said the mechanism could oversee implementation of agreements, facilitate emergency consultations and help prevent disputes from escalating into prolonged border closures.
\nHe stressed that Afghanistan was a vital gateway for Pakistan to Central Asia and said the two countries were geographically and economically interconnected.
\n\u201cIf trade routes are repeatedly closed, businesses will eventually shift to alternative routes and suppliers,\u201d he warned, stressing that borders and trade routes should not be closed without valid justification.
\nHe 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.
\n\u201cThe business community requires predictable conditions, continuity, security and reliable guarantees to invest with confidence,\u201d he said.
\nZia said China had a historic opportunity to help Pakistan and Afghanistan move away from recurring tensions towards institutionalised economic cooperation.
\nHe added that a reliable guarantee mechanism established with China\u2019s 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.
\n\u201cTrade should serve as a bridge between nations, and China\u2019s constructive role could prove instrumental in shaping a more stable, integrated and prosperous region,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LANDIKOTAL The business community on Friday welcomed China\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-566854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\n