October 26, 2021
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited Kabul on Thursday, to discuss facilitation of people-to-people interaction, trade, transit, and connectivity between the two brotherly nations. This was the first high-level visit by Pakistan after the Taliban formed the new caretaker government. The delegation included Director General ISI General Faiz Hameed and bureaucrats from different ministries and security agencies.
The delegation met the interim Afghan Prime Minister along with several ministers and government officials and discussed the major challenges posed to Afghanistan currently. The major concerns raised by the Afghan government included the imminent humanitarian crisis due to economic and administrative loopholes, fragile health care system and policies in the wake of covid-19, hurdles at the border crossing points impeding the smooth flow of trade and people.
Mr. Qureshi heard the problems faced by the neighboring countries assiduously and promised Pakistan’s support for its Afghan brothers in this hard time. Some of the commitments made by the Pakistani delegation were:
Humanitarian Assistance:
Pakistan proved itself to be a responsible and friendly neighbor in this crucial time by maintaining a constant supply of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in the form of food and medical supplies since the last one month. In continuation of those efforts, the foreign minister committed Rs.5 billion in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan in addition to the aid regularly flowing from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Medical Tourism:
The already struggling health care system of Afghanistan collapsed in the wake of the sudden regime, absence of governing structure for few days, and the fleeing of the best professionals in the field. Pakistan was already engaging with Afghanistan in the healthcare domain by allowing medical tourism i.e., permitting Afghan patients to get medical treatment in Pakistani public and private sector hospitals. To tackle the ongoing health crisis in Afghanistan due to infrastructural weaknesses, the delegation announced that patients visiting Afghanistan for medical reasons will be given on-arrival visas at the Torkham border crossing point to facilitate and smoothen their travel and treatment in Pakistan. Moreover, the mandatory PCR test requirement for Afghans coming to Pakistan via Torkham is promised to be abolished.
Trade Facilitation:
Pakistan and Afghanistan have been engaging in bilateral and transit trade for a long time. Though the trade relations between both the countries have improved significantly under the Taliban regime, some infrastructural and bureaucratic impediments persist which hinder the smooth flow of trade. In order to amplify the trade and remove the impending challenges, the Pakistani delegation announced several initiatives during their one-day visit to Kabul, including increasing the operation hours of the Torkham border to 24 hours for trade and 12 hours for pedestrians, allowing Afghan trucks to travel up to Karachi, increasing the efficiency of the Ghulam Khan and Kharlachi border crossing points, exempting customs duty on the fresh fruits and vegetables arriving in Pakistan from Afghanistan, and the provision of one-month on-arrival visas to Afghan traders at Torkham.
Visa Relaxations:
In addition to the visa relaxations offered to Afghan patients and traders to travel to Pakistan when ever they want to, the delegation ensured the Afghan counterparts that the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul will issue multi-entry visas for businessmen up to 5 years.
Brain Drain:
Keeping in view the mass exodus of experts in almost all fields from Afghanistan, the Pakistani delegation assured the Afghan government that Pakistani experts in different fields especially finance and economic sector will help and assist the fellow Afghans in stabilizing their economy.
It must be kept in mind that these are not the first steps taken by Pakistan to help the neighbor in need. Earlier this month, Pakistan allowed Afghan students enrolled in Pakistani educational institutes with valid admissions and study visas to travel by road via Torkham border crossing, cleared and sent back almost all empty returning containers of transit trade, and announced the opening of Torkham border crossing point for pedestrians on October 21, 2021 to help the struggling country in this crucial time.
It is also worth mentioning that not only the Pakistan government but also the private sector has been playing a significant role in supporting Afghanistan in these testing times. Earlier this month, a private think tank, the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Islamabad invited a delegation of Afghan traders and tabled the challenges they face to the relevant authorities, fortunately, most of the concerns raised by the traders have been addressed in the high-level delegation’s visit to Afghanistan a few days ago. With all the initiatives in place, there is hope for improved over-all relations between the two countries, which will not only help both the countries in developing and prospering, but also help in stabilizing the region as a whole.
Courtesy: Matrix Magazine
