SCCI seeks mechanism for bolstering Pak-Afghan trade

PESHAWAR: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Sherbaz Bilour has termed the “Pakistan and Afghanistan Bilateral and Transit Trade Forum 2020” a milestone initiative for bolstering mutual trade relations along with bringing business community on both sides of borders further near each other.

He urged Islamabad and Kabul to devise a joint mechanism for the business community and consult the SCCI to help boost the bilateral and transit trade relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Sherbaz Bilour was talking to different delegations of industrialists and traders community here at the Chamber’s House on Thursday SCCI participation in the two-day forum.

A 15 members delegation of the SCCI consisting of SCCI president Sherbaz Bilour, senior vice-president Manzoor Elahi, vice-president Junaid Altaf, former presidents Ghazanfar Bilour, Zahidullah Shinwari, Faud Ishaq, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, Shahid Hussain, Muhammad Ishaq, executive members Husnain Khurshid, Malik Mohsin Sajjad, Khalid Shehzad along with Malik Imran Ishaq, Sohail Javed and Sanan Sethi attended the forum.

The international trade forum was attended by more than 100 members of the business community from Afghanistan and members of SCCI, Chaman Chamber and traders from Quetta. Sherbaz Bilour called upon Islamabad and Kabul to take pragmatic steps to resolve problems of the business community on both sides of the border and remove obstacles to the bilateral and transit trade between the two countries.

“The mutual trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan can be enhanced up at $ 5billion if serious efforts are made by the governments of both countries”, he stressed. The SCCI chief believed that the trade forum played a pivotal role in removal of trade barriers as well as bringing closer the business communities of both countries.

Sherbaz Bilour stressed the need for regular holding of such meetings between the business community of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He went on to say that the improvement in Pak-Afghan trade and economic relations would bring economic prosperity, development and sustainable peace in the entire region.