Islamabad to ratify Iran-Pakistan free trade deal.
During a meeting with Reza Amiri-Moghaddam, the Iranian Ambassador to Islamabad, Jam Kamal Khan praised the successful holding of the 22nd Iran-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission in mid-September in Tehran and said, “The exchange of high-level economic and trade delegations with a focus on the private sector between the two countries should increase.”
Referring to the problems faced by Iranian trucks at the Pakistani border, Jam Kamal Khan assured that the Ministry of Commerce, in consultation with relevant domestic stakeholders, including the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Ministry of Transport, is actively addressing the issues related to Iranian trucks entering Pakistan.
The Pakistani Commerce Minister informed the Iranian Ambassador that the text of the Pakistan-Iran Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed in Islamabad is currently under internal review and is scheduled to be presented to the Cabinet of the Government of Pakistan for formal approval soon.
In the meeting, he proposed to arrange a visit by the Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan to Pakistan and a visit by the Pakistani Ministers of Transport, Railways, and Commerce to Tehran, and called for the reactivation of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Business Council to increase trade interactions between the two countries.
Stressing efforts to facilitate bilateral trade, Jam Kamal Khan welcomed the reactivation of the Mand-Pishin Joint Border Market in late July this year and called for the early operationalization of the remaining two joint border markets at Chegdi-Kohk and Gabd-Rimdan.
He stressed the need to reduce non-tariff barriers, particularly through closer cooperation between the National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) and quarantine agencies of both countries.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Ministry of Commerce announced that the meeting concluded on a positive note, with both sides expressing their commitment to further strengthening bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation.
Jam Kamal renewed the Pakistani government’s invitation to Iranian businessmen to participate in the Agro-Food Industries Exhibition to be held in Karachi in late November this year, which reflects the ongoing cooperation and growth of bilateral economic relations.
The Iranian Ambassador and the Pakistani Commerce Minister emphasized the shared vision of the two countries’ leaders to achieve an annual bilateral trade of $10 billion by 2028.