Afghan commerce minister due in Islamabad for high-level talks

By Tahir Khan

ISLAMABAD: Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Nooruddin Azizi, leading a high-level delegation, is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Wednesday for talks on ways to increase trade, and remove hurdles in bilateral and transit trade, officials said Tuesday.

The visit in the current tense relations between the two countries could be seen as a major development and is in line with the traders calls that trade should be separated from political issues.

The Afghan Commerce Ministry said the aim of this visit is to remove obstacles and problems in trade, transit and transportation, as well as discuss solving the problems of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

PM announces special courts, university quotas for overseas Pakistanis

Representatives of the Economic Affairs Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Investment Facilitation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Refugees and Returnees Affairs, Transport and Civil Aviation, Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, and the Chambers of Agricultural Production, Trade and Investment will be part of the delegation.

Earlier, the Pakistani charge d’affaires in Kabul met Afghan Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi and invited Afghanistan to the Health, Engineering & Minerals Show (HEMS) to be held on April 17-19th, 2025, at the Lahore Expo Centre, the Pakistani embassy sources said. The invitation was delivered from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

Ambassador Nizamani told the Afghan side that a special exhibition for the Afghan chamber of business is being planned in Pakistan.

Negotiations on tariff reduction, Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and transit trade are also expected to progress during the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

No date has yet been decided for the DPM visit to Kabul. However, some sources say the visit is expected soon.

Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan increased

Pakistani officials say that exports to Afghanistan have increased 33 percent in the current financial year.

During July-March FY2024-25, Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral goods trade recorded a notable growth of 27%, increasing from USD 1,242 million in the corresponding period of FY2023-24 to USD 1,575 million, according to official data.

Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan surged by 33%, reaching USD 1,051 million, reflecting rising demand for Pakistani goods and improved trade facilitation.

Nearly 60,000 Afghans return from Pakistan in two weeks: IOM

On the other hand, imports from Afghanistan also grew by 16% to USD 524 million, indicating a steady inflow of Afghan products into the Pakistani market.

An official said Tuesday that efforts are underway to double Pakistani exports to Afghanistan this year.

Officials say that Pakistani and Afghan commerce ministers would discuss progress on the proposed Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), the revised transit trade agreement, and facilities at the border crossing points.