Modi, Ghani vow greater trade and business linkages

Afghan trucks to be allowed through Attari ICP, a move Ghani said would boost bilateral trade

India and Afghanistan on Tuesday vowed to establish greater trade and business linkages between both countries by availing of a direct surface link. During a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani here on Tuesday, both sides reaffirmed India’s growing role in building a “stable, democratic and peaceful Afghanistan”.

“We are ready to welcome Afghan trucks at the ICP (integrated check post) in Attari (Amritsar). We are also prepared to join the successor agreement to Afghan Pakistan Trade and Transit Agreement. This will re-establish one of the oldest trading routes of South Asia,” Modi said after the meeting.

Currently, trade between India and Afghanistan faces hurdles due to the Afghan Pakistan Transit and Trade Agreement, which imposes certain restrictions on Afghan vehicles; these aren’t allowed to pick up or deliver goods at Indian border points.

Modi said a bilateral motor vehicles agreement would be signed with Afghanistan soon. This, he added, would allow trucks from Afghanistan access to Indian border posts. India was working towards developing the Chahbahar port project in Iran, which would help Afghanistan develop itself into a crucial trading hub, he said.

“We will expand our development partnership, which includes infrastructure, agriculture, connectivity, human resource development, community projects and humanitarian assistance. We will explore new trade and investment opportunities,” Modi said.

He also highlighted the support extended by India for the development of Afghan security forces. India has delivered three Cheetal helicopters to Afghanistan.

Ghani said India’s decision to allow trucks from Afghanistan in Indian check-posts would help boost bilateral trade. “India and Afghanistan are bound by a million ties … We welcome your emphasis on the bilateral transport agreement. Getting access to the Attari ICP will help Afghan goods reach Indian markets more easily,” Ghani, on a two-day visit here, said.

On terrorism, he said, “Peace is our significant goal because the shadow of terror haunts our children, our women, our youth … We must have a unified approach and must be united, both in the region and globally, to contain terror.” He lauded India’s $2.2-billion contribution in building human resources in Afghanistan and said increased investments from India were important for the development of Afghanistan’s economy.

“The Chahbahar project will be crucial for us. We look forward to an Asia that is economically integrated and where there is lasting peace between states,” he said Ghani invited Modi to visit Kabul and the Bamiyan valley in Afghanistan.