Pakistan to promote trade through border crossing points

As part of it plans to expand trade with neighbouring nations, Pakistan has said it intends to use key border crossings for this purpose.

The Express Tribune quoted Pakistan Finance Ministry officials, as saying that policies and strategies are being devised to achieve this objective.

They were further quoted, as saying that the plans include improving border crossing point infrastructure, equipment and procedures to reduce cargo dwelling time, reduce cost of doing business and facilitate movement of people in a secure manner.

Finance Ministry officials said that current border crossing infrastructure were unfit to facilitate this fresh attempt at boosting trade with Pakistan's neighbours.

For example, it was cited that the stationary time of the over 1,300 trucks crossing the border at Torkham every day was just too long, resulting in unnecessary commercial losses.

Pakistan continues to hope to become a regional transit hub by exploiting potential of all transit routes.