"Anti-trade policies at Pak-Afghan border cause trade volume decline: Shinwari

By Ashrafuddin Pirzada

LANDIKOTAL: The Federal Bureau of  Revenue(FBR) chairman and Pak-Afghan joint chamber of commerace director Zahid Shinwari Sunday said that due to anti trade policies by the the PTI-led government the trade volume severely dropped with Afghanistan as the current government was not serious to  boost trade relation with Afghanistan.

Zahid Shinwari was talking to "meet the press" program held at Landikotal press club said that the volume of trade with Afghanistan has declined to dollar 930 million in the past few years. He feared that the trade valume would further drop to five million dollars in the coming months.

 He said the past military leadership was more serious than the Oakistan Tehrek-e-Insaaf government uplifting the tribal belt where it should launch mega projects.He said only creating jobs and business opportunities could reduce lawlessness and militancy from the country.He said anti trade ploliies imposed at Torkham border omly had further increased rift between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Zahid Shinwsri,who also remained the president Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry for two consicutive tenures said that the federal government was not interested to take serious measures for enhancing trade ties with Afghanistan.
Shinwari said Pak-Afghan businessmen and traders believe in close and smooth trade relation via Torkham border.

He said the state should create an industrial zone in the tribal belt so the thousands of jobs could be generated for educated and jobless tribal youth. He further said that the government should facilitate this region instead of creating hurdles in the way of traders.

“If the government provides a favorable environment for the traders we will invest in tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rather than in other major cities of the country”,  Shinwari expressed.

To a question, he said that the declaration of erstwhile Fata region was a hollow promise in the real sense and the deduction of withholding tax at Torkham border was illegal.

He uncovered that in 2012 the volume of trade with Afghanistan was dollar 2.5 billion which declined to dollar 930 million in 2018 due to unfair foreign policies, he added.

He said they hope the government will consider their suggestions and recommendations for boosting trade with Afghanistan and other central asian countries to strengthen the economy of Pakistan.