By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: :Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed on Wednesday requested the upper house play its role in opening borders with neighboring countries, especially Afghanistan and Iran, for trade.
Speaking on the point of order in the upper house, the senator said that a delegation from Afghanistan has arrived in Pakistan for the request to open up the border for trade.
He said, “The trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan is around 5 billion US dollars, but due to the closure of borders, entire business activity is closed, due to which Afghan traders are facing difficulty.”
He said, “Three landlocked countries, including Afghanistan, and Tajikistan need land opening opportunities through Gawadar, but unfortunately, Pakistan’s relations with its neighboring countries are not satisfactory.”
He said, “Pakistan has been a host country for all its neighboring countries for 40 years, and the same role must continue in the future for prosperity and peace in the region.”
He requested the chairman and deputy chairman of the senate to play their roles to facilitate a meeting of Afghan traders and to take up the issue at the highest level for the opening up of borders.
On the other hand, The border crossings with Afghanistan and Iran would remain closed, both for cargo and pedestrians, to ensure full security during the general elections to be held in Pakistan on February 8. Normal operations would resume on February 9, Spokesperson Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a statement said on Wednesday.
Earlier, As the representatives from 10 regional countries gathered here for a Regional Countries Conference on Afghanistan, Pakistan reiterated its commitment to peace and prosperity in the war-torn country. The conference titled “Afghanistan’s Regional Cooperation Initiative” was hosted by the Afghan caretaker government. The international event was attended by diplomats from Pakistan, Russia, China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Indonesia.
Ambassador of Pakistan in Kabul Ubaid Nizamani, who represented Pakistan in the moot, wrote on X that he reiterated his country’s commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan. He emphasized that the region must work together to harness mutually beneficial connectivity potential and address shared concerns.
“Represented Pakistan in Regional Countries conference on Afghanistan in Kabul. Reiterated our commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan. Region must work together to harness mutually beneficial connectivity potential and address shared concerns,” the ambassador wrote on his X account.
