Afghanistan's acting commerce minister meets Pak foreign minister

Islamabad, Nov 14 (PTI) Afghanistan's acting commerce minister Nooruddin Azizi met with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani this week and discussed trade ties and how to transfer the properties of Afghan refugees returning to their homeland, it emerged on Tuesday.

Pakistan had set November 1 as the deadline for action against the illegal aliens if they contend to stay in the country. The announcement hit hundreds and thousands of Afghans residing in Pakistan without any legal document.

The Taliban interim rulers in Kabul protested the action but failed to change the decision as Islamabad insisted that the undocumented aliens were involved in terrorism. Foreign Office in a brief statement said Foreign Minister Jilani received acting commerce minister of Afghanistan Nooruddin Azizi and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to mutually beneficial ties with Afghanistan.

'FM said full potential for regional trade & connectivity can be harnessed with collective action against terrorism,” according to the statement posted on X.

The Afghan embassy in Islamabad also commented on the trip in its statement on X, saying that the Afghan delegation led by Azizi met with Jilani.

'Bilateral trade, especially the stranded goods of Afghan traders in Karachi port, smooth transfer of Afghan refugees' properties to Afghanistan & related issues were discussed,” it stated, without mentioning the exact date of meeting.

The statement comes as Afghan citizens returning to Afghanistan, some of them having businesses, highlighted restrictions on the transfer of cash and property from Pakistan.

Pakistan already has stated that those living illegally had no permission to own businesses and buy properties and warned the locals of action if they had helped the illegal aliens to do business. PTI SH ZH ZH