(MENAFN- Trend News Agency ) Prime Minister of Pakistan says his government is focused on developing legal trade on joint border with Iran noting that border markets will be functional in next few months, reports citing
Interacting with the public over the telephone, Imran Khan stressed the importance of developing Balochistan province, bordering the Islamic Republic of Iran, and said fencing common borders prevents smuggling and helps develop legal trade.
He added the fight against smuggling is a priority, but at the same time the lives of the residents of Balochistan, who have been involved in this illegal activity for decades, are affected by it.
''Therefore, the idea of establishing border markets was put on the agenda so that we can trade at the border,'' he said.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan said setting up of border markets is in the interest of both the countries and would help to improve the lives of border residents on both sides.
He said the main benefit of border markets is for the residents of these areas that would encourage them to do business.
PM Imran said we are also monitoring the issue of oil smuggling, which is giving loss of Rs 180 billion to the national exchequer.
The second and third official crossings of Iran and Pakistan were also officially opened in Rimdan (Gabd) and Pishin (Mand) in December last year and April this year, respectively with the presence of Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami, and Pakistan's Minister of Defense production Zobaida Jalal and other officials.
In addition, the Islamabad government has put the development of border infrastructure on the agenda, and in the latest move, the Prime Minister of Pakistan called for speeding up the construction of border markets with Iran and developing a comprehensive solution in this regard.
During Pakistani Foreign Minister's visit to Tehran in April, the Iranian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers signed a memorandum of understanding to establish joint border markets with the aim of strengthening cross-border economic exchanges.
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