Pakistan may introduce a special visa for truck drivers from Uzbekistan

Pakistan and Afghanistan are mutually introducing special visas for truck drivers. Uzbekistan may also join the program, Pakistan Today writes.

Pakistani Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar said the six months visa will be given to truck drivers under the Pakistan-Afghanistan trade agreement. Under the agreed terms, both countries will give six-month visas to each other’s truck drivers so they can easily move across the borders without any hindrance.

The resolution of visa issues, according to him, would facilitate the smooth delivery of goods in both countries.

The visa facility would not only be available for drivers in Afghanistan and Pakistan but they would also be extended to drivers from Uzbekistan. For this, an agreement will be signed among the three countries, the minister claimed. 

He noted the wide opportunities in Central Asia for exporters – thanks to this, their dependence on the markets of the Middle East, the EU and the USA will be reduced. 

The Pakistani government intends to make Pakistan a regional trade and transport hub, Qamar added.

Pakistan has already signed an agreement on transit trade with Uzbekistan. According to the minister, negotiations on this subject are currently underway with Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.