Pakistan, Iran agree to boost bilateral trade, border cooperation

Pakistan and Iran have agreed to deepen cooperation on trade, border management and regional stability after a high-level meeting in Islamabad between Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and Mansour Bijar, governor of Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.

According to details shared from the meeting, the two sides discussed Pakistan-Iran relations, bilateral trade, border markets, investment opportunities, security cooperation, economic connectivity and broader efforts to improve peace along the shared frontier.

Bijar said his main purpose in visiting Pakistan was to expand economic and trade ties between the neighboring countries. He said current bilateral trade is worth about $3 billion and could rise to $10 billion if both sides worked together more closely. He added that stronger border commerce could support local economies while also helping address security concerns in the border region.

Bugti said the Balochistan government is committed to promoting border barter trade and supporting efforts to lift trade with Iran toward the $10 billion target. He said expanding economic opportunities would contribute to peace, stability and a better security environment.

The chief minister said the three existing border markets along the Pakistan-Iran border would be made more active and efficient. He also said plans were under way for additional border markets aimed at creating jobs and making trade easier for communities living near the border.

He described the proposed upgrade of the Chagai-Sukkur railway track as strategically important, saying it would improve cargo movement and strengthen bilateral trade. Bugti also said the provincial government was setting up a dedicated security division to monitor and protect the Western Corridor. He said the move would help secure the mineral corridor, facilitate trade with Iran and reinforce economic links between the two countries.

Bugti said lasting peace was essential for development and called for coordinated action against non-state actors operating from either side of the border so that residents could benefit from stability and economic progress.

He also told the Iranian delegation that Balochistan was developing modern slaughterhouses and cold storage facilities to promote livestock trade, and welcomed Iranian investment in that sector.

To make cooperation more structured, Bugti proposed joint working groups between the two governments to track progress on trade, investment, border cooperation, infrastructure, agriculture, livestock and people-to-people exchanges.

This report is based on a monitored public feed. Source attribution follows below. Source: Dawn Pakistan - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017440/pakistan-iran-agree-to-boost-bilateral-trade-border-cooperation