Pakistan, Iran advance border trade talks

QUETTA: During a full-day meeting in the Iranian border town of Mirjaveh on Thursday, the Pak-Iran Joint Border Trade Committee deliberated on border concerns, the growth of bilateral trade, and improvements in immigration procedures and transportation.

Abdul Qadir Memon, the chief collector Customs Balochistan, headed the Pakistani delegation, while the Iranian side was led by Javed Haideri, the director general of Transit and International Transport from the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.

During the meeting, officials addressed several key topics, including the cross-border movement of people, the transportation of essential and export commodities, and the promotion of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Iran.

Additionally, discussions encompassed tackling illegal trade, smuggling, and various border-related issues at the Iran-Pakistan border.

In the meeting, both sides exchanged various proposals and recommendations aimed at enhancing cooperation in railway, banking, transportation, and outlining the path forward.

A senior customs official informed Dawn that both parties expressed their intention to strengthen bilateral trade with the aim of reaching a trade volume target of five billion USD between Pakistan and Iran.

It was also agreed that more substantial measures would be pursued to attain this trade volume objective.

During the meeting, Iranian and Pakistani officials reached a consensus on implementing stringent measures at the border to curb illegal crossings and smuggling activities. Both sides also discussed road transportation and proposed measures to streamline border operations, minimise lengthy delays, and ensure timely clearance of goods, with a focus on facilitating at least 800 daily traffic movements through the shared border.

The delegations from Iran and Pakistan anticipate that the meeting will prove highly beneficial for the region, particularly for businesses on both sides, and they expect it will contribute to resolving various business-related issues.

The meeting attendees included Collector Customs Appraisal Taftan Naveed Iqbal, Deputy Collector Usman Aziz, Superintendent Ahad Durrani, officials from relevant departments, representatives from the business community, border trade and transportation sectors, the banking industry, and officials from the Ministry of Immigration and Foreign Affairs.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2023

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