Concerns exist about misuse of Afghan transit trade agreement; hope to resolve it soon: Pak

Pakistan on Thursday said that it has concerns about the "misuse" of the Afghan transit trade agreement, while hoping to sort out various issues with the Afghan authorities.

Speaking at the weekly briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch responded to various questions about the suspension of transit trade due to the closure of the Torkham border and the recent attack by militants coming from Afghanistan. She said that Pakistan has been implementing in good faith the agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan with regards to transit trade as it has facilitated its landlocked neighbour in their access to the rest of the world in terms of trade and it will continue to do so.

"We have also said that there have been some concerns of Pakistan regarding misuse of the transit trade agreement on which we will engage with the Afghan authorities to end these practices," she said.

"As I said, just now, we are concerned that the transit trade agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan is being misused. It is important for our customs authorities to ensure that any border trade that takes place complies with the understandings and agreements that exist between Pakistan and Afghanistan and that such commercial activities do not contravene Pakistani laws," she said.

She also clarified that the transit trade agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan does not include overland trade between Afghanistan and India through Wagah via Pakistan.

"Our major concern is that sometimes the exports that are meant for Afghanistan are diverted back to Pakistan and the customs duties and taxes are not paid as it should be. So, there are certain concerns of our customs authorities that people are misusing the bilateral provisions that allow for trade with Afghanistan," she said.

About the closure of the Torkham border, she said it was a temporary measure.

"With regards to the opening of borders, I must underline that the closure of the border is temporary. And we will make the decision regarding its opening in view of the developments that take place in the coming hours and days," she said.

Baloch also said that Pakistan is concerned about the security threat emanating from Afghanistan, like the terrorist attack in the Chitral district on September 6 and the firing incident on the same day at the Torkham border.

"We believe that such incidents embolden the terrorists and that is why it is important for the Afghan interim authorities to ensure that Afghan territory is not used to threaten Pakistan," she said.

To a question about the economic corridor unveiled on the sidelines of the G20 summit, she said Pakistan has always said that connectivity projects are critical for the peace and prosperity of our region. ''And that is why Pakistan has supported the Belt and Road Initiative, of which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is the flagship project,'' she said.

"Pakistan has also seen the recent announcements that you have referred to. The project or the proposal itself is at the stage of conception. So, we will be in a position to comment once this project materializes. We believe that decisions on different connectivity projects should be made on a case-to-case basis, keeping in view a number of factors including the implication for other countries," she said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar accompanied by Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani will participate in the high-level debate of the 78th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York from September 18-23.

The Prime Minister will also participate in a Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other high-level meetings organized under the auspice of the UN General Assembly.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)