Pakistani, Afghan traders sign declaration to promote trade

A two-day Seminar of Pakistan-Afghanistan traders and businessmen, which concluded in Islamabad, resulted in the signing of a joint declaration to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields of economy, said an official press release on Sunday. The Vice President of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Iftikhar Ali Malik in a press statement said that a strategy has been evolved to enhance trade and business cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, particularly in the backdrop of US pull out from Afghanistan in 2014. Parliamentarians, businessmen, traders and private sector representatives of both countries attended the seminar. Malik said "both nations need to look to the future and forget about the past and promote peace and trade for the mutual benefit of peoples of both the nations." The declaration envisages bringing together politicians, journalists, traders and other representative of both countries to explore a comprehensive mechanism for promotion of bilateral relations, he added. Pakistan's economy had improved as compared to last year with GDP growth jumping from 2.9 to 5.1 percent. Pakistan also achieved Generalized System Preferences (GSP) plus status from European Union. There are various fields where Pakistan can help neighboring Afghanistan including automobile industry and education sector