Pakistan rules out access to Afghanistan via Wagah border

Pakistan has ruled out possibility of linking access to Afghanistan via Wagah border for transportation of Indian goods, arguing the transit trade was not a trilateral issue in anyway, a media report said on Thursday.

"We have asked Afghanistan for not linking trade access through Wagah border and they agreed to it because the transit trade was bilateral issue and it was not trilateral thing to bring any other into it," Prime Minister's Adviser to Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said while addressing a news conference here on Wednesday.

On the Afghan Transit Trade (ATT), after exchanging proposals through working groups in the aftermath of Afghan President's visit to Pakistan, Dawood said he would be visiting Kabul between August 20 to 30 as Afghan Ambassador extended an invitation, The News International reported. 

"Kabul is ready to initiate talks on Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA)," he added.

Dawood said the Afghan side was about to raise the issue of access through Wagah border but he made it clear that they should not link bilateral issue at a forum that was not trilateral and they agreed to it. 

The adviser said he raised the issue of increased trade of pencil, TV sets and black tea that was again transported into Pakistan in guise of ATT harming our country. 

"I am against using ATT for causing harm to our economy," he added.   IANS