LAHORE: Pakistan and Afghanistan have already agreed on extending the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) for six months and 97 percent work on the APTTA has been completed, said the Ministry of Commerce secretary.
Speaking in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce, chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada said all the trade-related issues with Afghanistan had been settled.
The secretary pointed to his visit to Chaman after the change in political setup in Afghanistan and said that there was no restriction on the movement of trucks to and from the neighbouring country.
There was movement of around 1,047 trucks on Tuesday, of which 557 crossed the Torkham border, he added.
“The system is working well at the moment and Pakistan continues to engage in trade activities with Afghanistan in accordance with the international law,” he said.
The secretary highlighted that Basmati rice was being exported by Pakistan and India, and progress was being made to register Pakistan’s Basmati rice in the European Union on the request of local lawmakers.
Khewra salt was produced in Pakistan only and the right to export it would now be protected under the Geographical Indication (GI) law, he emphasised.