Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum, and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Friday said the business community is pinning high hopes on the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue held in Islamabad recently. Pakistan, China and Afghanistan have agreed to combat terrorism and enhance cooperation in different economic fields, which will have a positive impact on all the countries, he said.

Mian Zahid Hussain said that the three sides agreed to advance political engagement, counterterrorism cooperation, and enhance trade, investments and connectivity under the trilateral framework, which is a big achievement.

The FMs reaffirmed their desire to pursue continuous and practical engagement and emphasised the need for enhanced coordination to counter terrorism and deepen cooperation. Regarding bilateral and transit trade, the FMs of Pakistan and Afghanistan stressed the importance of removing impediments to trade to advance the goal of enhanced regional economic integration and connectivity.

This will pave the way for trade with Central Asia, promote CPEC and Belt and Road initiative and help resolve the economic problems of Afghanistan.

Separately, Afghan FM also met COAS Asim Munir and discussed issues of mutual interest, including aspects related to regional security, border management, and formalisation of bilateral security mechanisms for improvement in the current security environment

COAS stressed the need for enhanced cooperation between the two brotherly neighbours to tackle the common challenges of terrorism and extremism effectively and reiterated the need for full support and commitment from the Afghan side in matters of mutual interest.

Mian Zahid Hussain said the Middle East has been in conflict for decades. Regional countries have missed many development opportunities and have yet to achieve sustained regional security.

He said that Afghanistan’s stable development also has positive implications for China and other neighbouring countries, adding that China and Pakistan can coordinate their positions to advance the situation in Afghanistan jointly.

The business community wants these countries to develop mutual trust and work together to promote regional peace, stability, and development.