The President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, has affirmed renewed belief in the idea that peace and harmony in war-torn Afghanistan will help it reinforce economic progression while facilitating the growth of its neighboring countries.
He met with a delegation from the Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) led by its President, Syed Hassan Ali Shah, in Islamabad, and remarked that supporting cross-border avenues for the conducting of business will benefit Afghanistan and will bolster trade opportunities in the bordering districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
President Alvi explained that the government had launched a number of development projects in the newly combined districts of the erstwhile FATA. “Serious efforts are being made to facilitate and encourage the business community,” he said, and highlighted that traders play an important part in Pakistan’s socio-economic growth.
Commending the recent developments targeting humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, the President praised the government’s efforts in hosting the seventeenth extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, and said that it would help mobilize international support for relief efforts in the neighboring country.
Subsequently, the KCCI delegation informed President Alvi of the obstacles that bar the business community from trading with Afghanistan. It praised the government’s assistance of the community in the aftermath of the outbreak of the pandemic, and is hopeful that the situation will improve within the next few months.
