Improved framework for Af-Pak transit trade urged

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Afghanistan have been asked to ink an agreement on consular access to prisoners and improve the framework for transit trade.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Committee (PAJC), Beyond Boundaries, also called for work on a reasonable plan for Afghan refugees’ dignified repatriation.

In a statement on Monday, the committee also stressed the need for facilitating bilateral trade and addressing negative perceptions about each other.

The track-II initiative suggested media exchanges and proposed highlighting of progress made under the Afghan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).

It welcomed the commitment by the two countries to ending the blame game, urging both sides to restrain their spokespersons from giving ‘knee-jerk’ reactions.

The third episode of PAJC was held in Kabul on Sunday. The statement was released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, which hosts the Pakistan part of the initiative.

Recently, the two governments had agreed on a new framework for bilateral relations called the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).

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