By Raza Khan ISLAMABAD, March 24 (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to allow each other’s trucks carrying trade goods on Temporary Admission Documents (TAD) to help enhance bilateral trade. The decision was announced by Abdul Razak Dawood, adviser to prime minister on commerce and investment. “We have finally done it! Historical development on regional connectivity front!” Dawood said on his official twitter account, according to WealthPK. The advisor said that Afghan transporters could obtain TAD from Pakistan embassy in Kabul and consulate in Kandahar, while transporters from Pakistan could do so from consulates in Peshawar and Quetta. “This is a historic development and will go a long way in enhancing our connectivity and trade relations with Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond,” Dawood added. According to experts, the decision would help enhance trade between the two countries, thus minimising the logistics’ problems and avoiding delays at border crossing points. Dr Sajid Ameen, a research fellow at Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), told WealthPK that allowing free movement of goods-carrying trucks was a good decision in the current circumstances. “It will enhance the volume of trade between the two neighbouring countries by reducing the logistic problems,” Ameen said. He added that the decision would also reduce the time and cost of loading and unloading of goods at crossing points on Pakistan-Afghanistan border. “We have seen decline in Pak-Afghan trade during the current fiscal year due to the absence of formal systems in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that special measures had to be taken to put things back on track. Ameen said that the volume of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan was recorded at over $1 billion during the last fiscal year (2020-21). He added that Afghanistan was also a gateway for Pakistan to access Central Asian markets via land route. “The government should provide maximum relaxation to traders of both sides for smooth continuation of trade,” he told WealthPK. According to the ministry of commerce, a meeting of officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan on trade and transit matters was held through video link earlier in March. The Afghanistan side was led by Nooruddin Azizi, acting minister of industry and commerce of Afghanistan, and the Pakistan delegation was led by Abdul Razak Dawood. The two sides held detailed discussions for implementing TAD for free movement of trucks and cross-stuffing for Afghan transit cargo, the finalisation of Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) and other trade and transit matters, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to allow free movement of trucks between Afghanistan and Pakistan subject to agreed modalities via TAD procedure and cross-stuffing, effective from March 21. The two sides termed it a historic moment and committed to charting out a joint roadmap for resolution of pending transit and trade issues. Earlier, Pakistan had allowed traders the export settlement of 14 items with Afghanistan in local currency. The items included poultry, meat, cement, pharmaceutical products, textile, fruits, vegetables, salt, rice, and surgical instruments.