INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), and Pakistan agreed that from now on Afghan trucks will not be unloaded in
Peshawar and Quetta of Pakistan.The IEA and the Pakistani delegation in Kabul agreed in Tuesday&s meeting that from now on Afghan trucks
will not be unloaded in Peshawar and Quetta, but will travel freely to all parts of Pakistan.According to IEA, the same facility has been
considered for Pakistani trucks when crossing Afghanistan to the Central Asia countries.The two sides have also agreed to keep the price of
coal unchanged and to facilitate trade in this field.The two sides have also formed a joint committee for further monitoring.In a separate
meeting with IEA&s acting foreign minister, the Pakistani delegation has once again emphasized the expansion of trade relations between the
two countries and said that they want to jointly invest with Afghan investors in electricity generation so that Pakistan can get electricity
instead of importing coal from Afghanistan. In this meeting, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the IEA&s acting foreign minister, emphasized that the
policy of the Islamic Emirate is to make Afghanistan the economic crossroads of the region.Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the
Pakistani delegation agreed that they will provide the necessary facilities in the fields of export, import and passenger movement between
the two countries.Afghan Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi on Tuesday said that the country is holding talks with a
Pakistani delegation to sign an agreement to facilitate bilateral trade. A trade delegation from Pakistan, led by Commerce Secretary Saleh
Farooqui, arrived in Kabul on Monday evening to hold talks on coal imports as well as transit and barter trade between the two countries.The
barter trade, which is a serious issue for Afghan traders, cross-staffing, the trade of materials, and coal will be discussed,& the acting
Minister of Commerce and Industry Azizi said
Pakistan&s Commerce and Industry Ministry had earlier said that delegates will hold talks regarding trade, transit and transportation with
the Afghan authorities.Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) had also said that Islamabad was trying to boost its trade with
Afghanistan, local media reported.Kabul had earlier raised coal prices for Pakistan, two days ahead of the delegation&s visit
The coal price has increased from USD 200 to USD 280 per tonne
The price of coal was increased owing to the constant surge of price in the global market, Afghanistan&s Ministry of Minerals and Petroleum
spokesperson Ismatullah Burhan said adding that 10,000 tons of coal are exported to Pakistan every day earning the country millions.Earlier
this month, the IEA had increased the price of coal by 30 percent after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved importing of coal
As per Sharif, Pakistan would save more than two billion dollars by importing coal from Afghanistan.Sharif had approved the import of
super-critical quality coal from Afghanistan in Pakistani rupee instead of dollars to help generate low-cost electricity in his country.The
post Afghan cargo trucks can travel freely to all parts of Pakistan first appeared on Ariana News.
