Pakistan and Afghanistan are all set to hold trade talks from tomorrow (Monday), said the Foreign Office spokesperson on Sunday.

Taking to X, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch tweeted: “Secretary Commerce Khurrum Agha will undertake a 2-day visit to Afghanistan on Monday, 25 March 2024 to discuss trade-related matters.”

A report cited an Afghan official saying that a Pakistani commerce ministry delegation is scheduled to arrive in the Afghan capital Kabul to deliberate on transit and bilateral trade affairs.

“Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesman for the Afghan Commerce Ministry, confirmed that Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi will lead the Afghan delegation,” added the report. 

 “Pakistan remains committed to promoting trade and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her tweet.

Secretary Commerce Khurrum Agha will undertake a 2-day visit to Afghanistan on Monday, 25 March 2024 to discuss trade related matters. Pakistan remains committed to promoting trade and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan.

— Mumtaz Baloch (@Mumtazzb) March 24, 2024

Discussions will be held on overall bilateral and transit trade, said the Afghan ministry’s spokesman.

“We will take up the issue of a ban on several transit items. Pakistan has banned the import of certain items under the transit agreement. Around 50 per cent of transit trade has been decreased due to this ban and shifted to Iran,” Jawad said.

Afghan charge d’affaires Sardar Shokaib Ahmad rushed to Kabul to brief officials about his meetings in Islamabad. Shokaib met acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and briefed him regarding recent developments in the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, deputy foreign ministry spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takkal said.

“During the meeting, Mawlawi Sardar Ahmed Shakib, acting head of the Afghan embassy in Pakistan, shared the report of his recent meetings with the Pakistani officials with FM Muttaqi, and held in-depth discussion thereof,” Takkal wrote on X.

“Following briefing, FM Muttaqi gave necessary instructions to the Acting Head of the Afghan embassy in Islamabad with regards to the existing situation and relations of the two countries,” he said.

IEA-Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi was reported by the Acting head of Afghan embassy in Pakistan regarding the recent developments in the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

During meeting, Mawlawi Sardar Ahmed Shakib, the acting head... pic.twitter.com/FRQj174fwq

— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad) March 23, 2024

Earlier, the Afghan embassy said that Shakib met Pakistan’s Special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani on March 22 and “addressed recent challenges between the two countries, the revitalisation of political, commercial, people-to-people and other aspects of bilateral relations.”

On March 11, Afghan Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi held an online meeting with Secretary Pakistan Commerce Ministry Khurram Agha and explored ways to establish closer relations, solve challenges and prevent the occurrence of bottlenecks in trade and transit between the two countries, the ministry wrote on X.

The Afghan Commerce Ministry said the two sides spoke about the progress made over the last two years. They discussed options for increasing the volume of bilateral trade, solving problems and removing trade and transit barriers, providing more facilities, establishing close relations between the public and private sectors of the two countries, and increasing regional cooperation.

The Afghan minister also invited Khurram Agha to visit Kabul with a delegation to hold further discussions on bilateral trade issues. Pakistani and Afghan business leaders expect the talks in Kabul will be useful.