The leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached on a consensus over transit trade agreement and the draft of the agreement has been finalized. Afghanistan was not permitted to run trade with India via Wagha border.Federal Trade Minister Makhdom Amin Fahim talking to Dunya News informed that India will not be allowed to transit goods bound for Afghanistan through Pakistan. Indian goods would be off loaded at Wagah border and would be reloaded in Afghan trucks. India however can export goods to Afghanistan by sea and aerial route. Amin Fahim said that both Afghanistan and Pakistan have long ties and no third country was present during the finalizing trade agreement.Pakistan will have the transit facility for trade with Central Asian Countries. New Delhi will be most be satisfied from trade agreement, says Moeed Pirzada Dunya News Director World Affairs Moeed Pirzada when asked about the trade agreement said that New Delhi will be most be satisfied from the trade agreement. He said that the request was indirectly made by India to go execute the trade agreement. He added that India has now access to Central Asian countries. He informed that the agreement has nothing but cosmetic gains for Pakistan. Pakistan could have gained a lot of concession however diplomacy failed once again. Road infrastructure in Afghanistan is not very appropriate for trading, says Sartaj Aziz Former Finance Minister Sartaj Aziz talking to Dunya News informed that Holbrookes visit prior to Hilary Clinton was to persuade the Pakistani leadership to finalize trade agreement. This is not a new concession and the situation prevailing in Afghanistan is not very stable. The road infrastructure in Afghanistan is not also very appropriate for trading. Merely a cosmetic agreement, says Omer Ayub Former Finance Minister Omer Ayub talking to Dunya News said that the trade agreement is no profit, no loss situation for Pakistan. He urged that Afghanistan is not stable and the agreement is merely a cosmetic agreement. He informed that India is trading with Afghanistan via the sea route through Iran. He said that the government should demand from India to allow Pakistani goods to trade via India to Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. India will benefit more than us.Corruption should be tackled to avoid smuggling, says Sheikh RasheedAwami Muslim League chairman Sheikh Rasheed talking to Dunya News informed that goods are smuggled in and out of Afghanistan. He urged the governemnt to address the corruption issue.Rasheed said that Afghan situation will become very crucial in the next four months. The biggest beneficiaries will be those who import goods for Afghanistan and sell those goods in Pakistan. He reiterated that Pakistani leadership should try win hearts and minds of the Afghan people. He added that India has built bridges and carried out other infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. He expressed disappointment that Pakistans diplomacy just focuses on relations with two countries including US and India.
