Pakistan, Iran to open Mandi-Pishin Border Market on May 2

Pakistan and Iran are set to open the Mandi-Pishin border market on May 2 to boost trade between two countries.

Pakistan has requested the facilitation of legal channels to increase bilateral trade between the two nations and highlighted the issue of the flooding of illicit goods from Iran.

The Pakistani side has also criticized Iran for imposing excessive tariffs on textile, surgical, and sporting items and demanded a reduction in tariffs on exports from Pakistan.

Syed Naveed Qamar, the Minister of Commerce of Pakistan, took up the matter with Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini, the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan, during a meeting on Thursday.

Two sides held a meeting to bid farewell to the Ambassador at the end of his term. The Minister praised the Ambassador’s efforts to strengthen bilateral commercial and economic ties between Iran and Pakistan.

During the meeting, the Commerce Minister pointed out that Iran’s high tariffs on textiles, surgical, and sporting items were hindering exports and suggested that Iran should lower its tariffs on shipments from Pakistan to improve trade relations.

The Minister emphasized that both nations shared a bond of brotherhood as neighbors and needed to find ways to prevent smuggling and increase trade.

According to Naveed Qamar, non-trade barriers such as visa costs for Pakistani businesspeople and drivers, attestation fees, road taxes, load taxes, and other expenses levied by the Iranian consulate on trucks were impeding trade. Later, the Commerce Minister conveyed his best wishes to the Ambassador for his future endeavors.

The Iranian envoy responded and expressed his gratitude for the Minister’s assistance and collaboration during his time in Pakistan.Pakistan and Iran sign 100 MW electricity supply deal

This had led to a 15% increase in bilateral trade between the two nations.

The Ambassador also noted that the Mandi-Pishin border market, scheduled to open on May 2nd, was expected to boost trade between Iran and Pakistan. Both parties expressed their commitment to strengthening trade and economic ties between the two nations as the meeting came to a successful conclusion.