RELATION BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND CURRENT TALIBAN LED

AFGHANISTAN

AREAS OF COOPERATION AND GOOD RELATIONS :

The key principles of Pakistan’s policy towards Afghanistan include
strengthening people-to-people contacts,deepening trade and transit ties,
undertaking joint connectivity and energy projects for enhanced economic
integration, working together for bringing peace in Afghanistan,
non-interference in the internal affairs and not allowing respective territories to
be used against each other.

Building close cooperative relations with Afghanistan is a high priority of

Pakistan’s foreign policy and a vital component of our vision of a “peaceful
neighbourhood.” Pakistan continues its efforts for forging a friendly and
good-neighbourly relationship with Afghanistan, on the basis of mutual respect
for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood
Qureshi undertook his maiden foreign visit to Kabul highlighting the
importance that Pakistan attaches to its relations with Afghanistan.

Pakistan Development Assistance:

In June last year, Pakistan’s development assistance to Afghanistan reached
US$ 1 billion. The country’s development assistance is geared towards
investment in Health, Infrastructure, Education, Trade, Agriculture and
capacity building of Afghan professionals.

Cooperation in Health Sector:

Pakistan has setup healthcare facilities in Afghanistan including three
hospitals, i.e., 200-bed Jinnah Hospital Kabul, 80-bed Nishtar Kidney Center in
Jalalabad and 100-bed Naib Aminullah Khan Logar Hospital. Jinnah hospital
Kabul and Nishtar Kidney center have been handed over to Afghanistan.

Cooperation in Building Infrastructure:

Pakistan’s infrastructure projects in Afghanistan include Torkham-Jalalabad
Road (75 Km), Torkham-Jalalabad Additional Carriage way (73 Km), 15 Weigh
Bridges, donation of road construction machinery, construction of internal road
in Jalalabad and donation of telecom and electricity system.
Cooperation in Education Sector:
In the field of education Pakistan played a very cooperative role with
Afghanistan.Besides providing scholarships to almost 4000 Afghan students,
Pakistan has constructed Rehman Baba School and Hostel in Kabul, Allama
Iqbal Faculty of Arts at Kabul University, Sir Syed Science Block at Nangarhar
University Jalalabad and Liaqat Ali Khan Engineering Block at Balkh
University in Mazar-e-Sharif. Pakistan is also providing 3,000 fully-funded
scholarships to Afghan students. Selection test of the first batch of the Afghan
students for 3,000 scholarships was conducted last year. Responding to demand
from Afghanistan, we have added categories of Masters and PhD programs. of
3000 students was made in Pakistan has pledged US $ 2 million for the Afghan
students to pursue business management degrees at the Lahore University of
Management Science (LUMS). Around 50,000 Afghans who studied in our
educational institutions are currently serving their country.

Pakistan is also assisting Afghanistan in capacity building in the fields of

agriculture, banking, railways, military and diplomacy. The government
initiated capacity building projects for Afghan healthcare professionals, under
which 59 Afghan medical professionals including doctors, nurses, and
technicians successfully completed their training in 2017. In addition, 42
Afghan healthcare professionals have started training at Institute of Kidney
Diseases, Peshawar.

Cooperation in Trade and Economy

The two countries have substantial trade linkages. Pakistan is Afghanistan ‘s
largest trade partner. According to Afghanistan Central Statics Organization
(CSO), Ministry of Finance, during Afghanistan’s FY 2018 (22 December
2017- 21 December 2018), Pak- Afghan bilateral trade remained the highest and
reached US$ 1,437 million followed by Afghanistan- Iran at US$ 1,284 million
and China at US$ 1,098. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has reported an
increase of 18.33% in Pakistan’s export to Afghanistan in year 2017-18
(July-June) over preceding corresponding year (2016-17) i.e. from US$1,171 to
US$ 1,476 million.

The two sides have the following institutional mechanisms in the domain of
trade and economic cooperation:
a). Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Cooperation Authority (APTTCA)

b). Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry

c). Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Business Council

d). Joint Economic Commission (JEC)

e). Afghan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS)

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Prepared by @‫میرے بعد کس کو ستاؤگے‬ 🥺