ISLAMABAD, FEB 26 /DNA/ – Afghanistan needs to address the security concerns not only of traders and investors but also of its neighbouring countries to be able to fully tap into its potential of regional economic connectivity, said the Director General of Pak-Afghan Youth Forum Mr Salman Javed. He was speaking at a roundtable discussion organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) here on Wednesday.
Mr Javed called for looking at Pak-Afghan economic ties through the context of the whole gamut of relations between the two countries, such as security, diplomatic relations, as well as people-to-people interactions. He suggested using the complex interdependence theory of international relations as enunciated by the Robert O. Keohane and Josep S. Nye for a better understanding of the Pak-Afghan relations. “In complex interdependence, problems in one area like economics can affect other areas like security or social issues. No single issue is more important than another; they are all linked,” he said.
Mr Javed underscored the Taliban government’s support to various terrorist groups as the single major obstacle to better diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries. Listing some other obstacles to trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he mentioned anti-smuggling and import restrictions, border closures, tariff hikes, etc. Mr Javed said that while certain mega projects like the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline and Central Asia-South Asia transmission line (CASA-1000) projects were underway between the bordering countries of Afghanistan, they were still far from completion.
Mr Javed mentioned the establishment of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) in 2011 as a very positive development. He added that PAJCCI was still quite active and encouraged IRS to hold further events involving representatives of the PAJCCI. He added that creation of border markets and special economic zones (SEZs) along the Pak-Afghan border were some other good ideas that were in the works.
Mr Javed urged the Taliban government of Afghanistan to address the security concerns of all its neighbouring countries including Pakistan by taking verifiable measures against terrorist groups operating from the Afghan soil. He mentioned that trade facilitation through simplified customs procedures and digitization of border trade, expansion of regional preferential trade agreements, physical infrastructure development, creation of border markets and SEZs on both sides of the border under PAJCCI, activation of Khyber Pass Economic Corridor (KPEC) which was approved in December 2019, diversification of trade and investment Areas into mining, agriculture, and energy sectors, engaging other active regional players like Uzbekistan, utilizing multilateral forums like the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) could all be instrumental in tapping into the full potential of economic activities involving Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In his concluding remarks at the roundtable, President IRS Ambassador Jauhar Saleem emphasized how terrorism was scuttling not only the diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan but also trade and economic relations between the two countries as well as the Central Asian Republics. He called for a regional approach to tackling the security challenges emanating out of Afghanistan as well as partnering with it for regional economic prosperity.
