Pakistan to ink transit trade deal with Afghanistan to access Uzbekistan market

LAHORE: Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood Monday said that Pakistan will be inking a transit trade agreement with Afghanistan to access markets of Uzbekistan and beyond, ARY NEWS reported.

“Uzbekistan is important with respect to trade and will be a big economy to deal with,” the adviser said while visiting the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and briefing them on the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan and its economic benefits.

The goods will reach Uzbekistan from Karachi in five days, Abdul Razak Dawood said and added that measures are being taken to improve trade ties between the two countries as they have signed 71 trade agreements during the recent visit.

He said that efforts were also underway to begin special flights between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

The adviser further shared that they are giving exemptions on the import of raw materials for industrial purposes in order to promote industrialization and local production. “We are further reviewing the controversial section 203 of the FBR,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Imran Khan during his visit to Uzbekistan said that Pakistan is looking forward to further deepen trade and investment ties with the country.

PM Khan said that strong bilateral relations would facilitate closer economic cooperation between the two countries.

PM further said that Pakistan’s connectivity with Uzbekistan in trade and bilateral spheres would open up new avenues of prosperity in the region. “Pakistan has immense potential to connect Central Asia with the rest of the world and become a hub of trade,” he added.