Islamabad, Mar 25 (EFE).- Pakistan and Afghanistan held trade talks in Kabul on Monday in the backdrop of heightened border tensions marked by recent airstrikes by Pakistani fighter jets on alleged militant hideouts inside Afghan territory.
A delegation from the Pakistani Ministry of Commerce has traveled to Kabul to hold talks with the Taliban administration over a two-day period.
Shahid Ullah, a spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban embassy in Islamabad, told EFE that the agenda includes trade discussions between the two sides.
On Sunday, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokeswoman for the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the visit of the Pakistani delegation, led by Secretary of Commerce Khurram Agha, for the two-day meeting.
“Secretary commerce Khurrum Agha will undertake a 2-day visit to Afghanistan on Monday to discuss trade related matters,” she said in a statement on X. “Pakistan remains committed to promoting trade and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan.”
The talks will cover bilateral and transit trade matters, with a focus on addressing challenges faced by transporters and traders at border crossing points, according to an official from the Pakistani foreign ministry who spoke with EFE on condition of anonymity.
The talks occur amidst efforts from both sides to normalize relations following Pakistani airstrikes in two Afghan provinces on Mar 18.
The airstrikes followed an attack on a military post in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district, bordering Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of two officers and five troops.
The Pakistani foreign ministry said the primary target of the operation was the militants belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which, along with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is responsible for multiple insurgent attacks in Pakistan.
Ties between the neighboring countries have deteriorated in recent months amid Pakistani accusations that the TTP is using Afghan soil as a launching pad for attacks inside Pakistan.
The Afghan Taliban have refuted Pakistani claims, urging Islamabad to address its internal security challenges.
Encouraged by the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021, the TTP has escalated attacks in Pakistan, particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan is Afghanistan’s largest export destination and its third-largest import partner, according to the Pakistani embassy in Kabul.
Additionally, Pakistan serves as Afghanistan’s largest transit trade and connectivity partner.
The two countries have set a target of increasing bilateral trade volume to $5 billion. Official figures show that the total trade volume between the two countries reached $1.5 billion in 2020-21.
Main Pakistani exports to Afghanistan include rice, cement, fresh fruits and vegetables, medicine, and petroleum products.
Pakistan imports from Afghanistan include cotton, fresh fruits and vegetables, dry fruits, coal and briquettes, carpets, and iron. EFE
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