Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to deeper economic ties

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan today sought an "early and full implementation" of the Transit Trade Agreement with Afghanistan and vowed to reinforce energy and communication links with its neighbour through trans-regional initiatives.

"We believe these initiatives offer rich dividends for Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region," Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in his remarks in a joint media statement with visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai after holding delegation-level talks here at the Prime Minister's House.

The wide-ranging talks on issues of common interest also focused on the common challenges the two countries face and the huge opportunities they can exploit.

Sharif announced that the two sides, in the meeting of their finance ministers, had agreed on several projects on communications, power and railway.

These included early completion of Torkham-Jalalabad additional carriageway and initiation of other highway projects, besides early implementation of Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA 1000) and development of a joint hydel power project on Kunar river.

The two sides also agreed on establishment of rail links to connect Torkham and Jalalabad as well as Chaman to Spin Boldak.

Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Umer Daudzai also signed the "Agreed Minutes" of their meeting, that was witnessed both by Prime Minister Sharif and President Karzai.

Sharif said, "Constructive engagement between Afghanistan and Pakistan was good for both the countries, good for the region and good for the world."

Karzai while stressing the need for fully exploiting the economic opportunities available for both the countries, said Pakistan as a neighbour could expect good from Afghanistan, just like Afghanistan expected the same from it.