This online meeting, organized to reopen border ports, establish a specialized committee, and resolve trade-related problems between the two countries, was attended by Mr. Alhaj Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment(ACCI). He described the closure of ports as harmful to the trade and economy of both Afghanistan and Pakistan and emphasized reopening them through cooperation between the chambers of both countries.
He added that if the Government of Pakistan has delegated the authority to reopen the ports to the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Afghan side is also ready to proceed with reopening them.
Mr. Hashemi agreed to the proposal of forming a 12-member joint committee suggested by the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry to resolve trade issues, resume the transportation of halted consignments, and adopt preventive measures to avoid similar situations in the future. He added that discussions would be held with the Afghan government to implement these decisions.
Mr. Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, stated that the closure of ports between the two countries has negatively affected trade, particularly Pakistan’s exports. He noted that, as a first step, containers stranded across the border carrying Afghan commercial goods would be allowed entry.
Additionally, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment proposed that the next joint meeting—comprising six representatives from the Pakistan Chamber and six from the Afghanistan Chamber—be held next week in Jalalabad to facilitate the reopening of ports. This proposal was accepted by the Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, several deputy heads, board members, heads of provincial chambers, and prominent Afghan traders. On the Pakistani side, the President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, along with heads of chambers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Quetta, North Waziristan, and Kurram, participated in the meeting.
