ISLAMABAD: This was revealed on the opening day of the two-day meeting of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) here Monday. Pakistani Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz "said Pakistan had allowed transit to India of Afghan goods worth $15 million", The News reported Tuesday. Pakistan has said it will discuss trade ties with India only after sorting out contentious issues like Kashmir. Aziz led the Pakistani delegation at the JEC meeting that included representatives of the private sector. Finance Minister Muhammad Ashraf Ghani and Reconstruction Minister Muhammad Amin Farhan led the Afghan team. Pakistan and Afghanistan pledged at the talks to forge economic cooperation, increase bilateral trade and strengthen ties in communications, banking and finance and postal sectors. In his opening remarks, Aziz pointed out that agreement of the two countries to hold three meetings a year of the JEC "speaks volumes about increased bilateral cooperation", The News said. "The relationship between the two countries would further move ahead if we increase our economic stakes in each other's countries through trade, investment and movement of goods," Aziz contended. The minister said Pakistan exported goods worth $400 million to Afghanistan during the last financial year, while imports were of $35 million. He said truck traffic through the Chaman and Torkhum check posts in the North West Frontier Province was roughly 10,000 per month, indicating a "brisk movement of goods". He informed the meeting the Asian Development Bank had committed to funding development of roads between Pakistan, Afghanistan and beyond - particularly Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan was also investing a lot of money in developing the road network between Pakistan and Afghanistan and was developing a second port at Gwadar in Balochistan "to encourage regional transit trade", Aziz pointed out.
Source: IANS