Today’s trade discussions between Pakistan and Afghanistan will start.

To hold negotiations on trade normalization, a delegation from Pakistan, led by Secretary of Commerce Khurram Agha, will travel to Kabul for two days starting today.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the group would travel to Afghanistan in order to discuss resuming trade under the terms of the Afghan Transit Trade (ATT). The trade talks will resolve disagreements, implement additional measures to boost confidence, reduce tension in border regions, and discuss transit and bilateral trade matters.

“Secretary Commerce Khurram Agha will undertake a 2-day visit to Afghanistan on Monday, 25 March 2024 to discuss trade-related matters,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra announced, taking on X. Pakistan is still dedicated to fostering people-to-people exchanges and trade with Afghanistan.

Additional Secretary of Commerce Dr. Wajid Ali Khan, Director General of Transit Trade, Additional Secretary of Interior Khushal Khan, and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Maria Qazi would be among the other delegates from Pakistan.

Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, will head the Afghan delegation, according to reports verified by Abdul Salam Jawad, the spokesman for the Afghan Commerce Ministry.

Following recent tensions in border areas, this will be the first high-level interaction between the two sides. In recent months, there has been a downward trend in the transit commerce between the two adjacent countries.