KABUL: Pakistan and Afghanistan, at a two-day session of their Joint Economic Commission (JEC) which concluded here on Monday, vowed to enhance bilateral economic cooperation to promote peace and stability.

The session was co-chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and his Afghan counterpart Dr Omar Zakhilwal.

The two sides expressed satisfaction over the progress made on Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA) 1,000 and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project and said they looked forward to the implementation of the projects.

Pakistani side agreed to consider issues raised by Afghan delegation on the implementation of the Afghan-Pakistan Trade and Transit Agreement. The results will be reviewed in a meeting of customs experts of the two countries by the end of March.

The session reviewed the status of development projects being undertaken in Afghanistan with the financial assistance of Pakistan and agreed to speed up the pace of work on them.

Pakistani side presented a new draft of the Avoidance of Double Taxation Treaty and both sides agreed to discuss the issues relating to it at the earliest.

Afghan side welcomed the expansion of a Pakistani scholarship scheme for Afghan students from 2,000 scholarships to 3000.

The session discussed proposals for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of petroleum and natural resources, industries and production and agriculture and livestock.

Addressing the concluding meeting, the Afghan minister said: “Improved economic cooperation and interdependency between Afghanistan and Pakistan not only help in bringing prosperity to our two nations but can also promote mutual trust between the two countries.”

Ishaq Dar called for enhancing bilateral trade, extending the transit trade to Tajikistan, early completion of the projects funded by Pakistan and visa facilitation for Pakistani businessmen and labourers.

During the JEC session, experts of the two countries held meetings on different issues relating to trade, industry and cooperation in the fields of communication, energy, agriculture and livestock and education.

Despite financial constraints faced by Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, during a visit to Kabul in Nov 2013, had announced that the funding for development projects in Afghanistan had been increased from $385 million to $500m as a goodwill gesture to the people of Afghanistan.

The two ministers also visited major projects undertaken by Pakistan under its bilateral assistance programme, including Torkham-Jalalabad additional carriageway, Nishtar Kidney Centre in Jalalabad and Liaqat Ali Khan Engineering Faculty of Balkh University in Mazar-i-Sharif.—APP