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ACCI welcomes Pakistan’s move to establish a legal barter system

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The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) on Saturday welcomed Pakistan’s move to establish a legal mechanism to provide for barter trade with two sanctions-hit neighbors — Afghanistan and Iran.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Thursday.

The ACCI said the adoption of the mechanism would be effective in preventing the smuggling of goods between the two countries.

“We are in favor of legal trade and good trade relations and mutual respect both with the countries of the region and with the whole world,” said ACCI deputy chief Mohammad Younus Mohmand.

Economists believe that improving trade and economic relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are key to increasing imports and exports between the two countries.

“If the Pakistanis use honesty in these matters, it is a big step, which is in fact a regional move, and it can be a good help in strengthening the Afghan economy and building trust in the Afghan economy, and it is not an easy step,” said Sayed Massoud, an Afghan university lecturer.

According to an official statement issued by Pakistan, the meeting, presided over by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, focused on a commerce ministry’s summary for “grant of regulatory support for establishing barter trade arrangements with Afghanistan and Iran”.

After discussions, the consensus “allowed regulatory cover to barter trade arrangements by amending relevant provisions” of the export and import policy orders.

Trade between Pakistan and Iran has stagnated for more than a decade mainly due to US sanctions on Tehran, while Pak-Afghan formal trade has suffered in the absence of a banking system in Afghanistan and Washington’s decision to freeze Afghanistan’s foreign reserves.

As a way out, the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Iran’s Zahidan Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed an agreement in November last year for a barter trade mechanism. Subsequently, other chambers of the two countries were also brought into the same system.

The same mechanism would also be replicated with Afghanistan given its heavy reliance on Pakistan for essential commodities, Dawn News reported.

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Gold climbs to record high as tariff worries bolster safe-haven demand

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Gold’s record run extended to another all-time high on Tuesday, buoyed by safe-haven demand as investors brace for U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned announcement on reciprocal tariffs.

Spot gold was up 0.3% at $3,131.56 an ounce at 0914 GMT, after hitting a record high of $3,148.88 earlier, Reuters reported.

U.S. gold futures were 0.3% higher at $3,159.10.

“Trump’s tariff comments and his increasingly volatile stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine are proving the perfect chaos for new record gold prices,” surpassing even the COVID pandemic five years ago, said Adrian Ash, head of research at online marketplace BullionVault.

Trump said on Sunday his reciprocal tariffs to be announced on Wednesday would include all countries, rather than a limited number.

Goldman Sachs on Monday raised the probability of a U.S. recession to 35% from 20% and said it expected more rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, as Trump’s tariffs roil the global economy and upend financial markets.

Gold, traditionally seen as a hedge against uncertainty and inflation, has risen more than 15% this year. Non-yielding bullion also tends to do well in a low interest rate environment.

“The market is watching April 2 closely for further economic indicators that could impact Federal Reserve policy decisions. If rate cuts are confirmed, this would provide additional support for gold’s upward trajectory,” said Alexander Zumpfe, a precious metals trader at Heraeus Metals Germany.

Bullion’s rally this year has also been supported by strong demand from central banks, geopolitical instability in the Middle East and Europe, and increased flows into gold-backed exchange-traded funds.

In the last session, gold closed out its strongest quarter since 1986, and climbed over $3,100/oz, marking one of the most significant upswings in the precious metal’s history.

Investors will also monitor U.S. job openings data later on Tuesday and the U.S. non-farm payrolls report on Friday.

Silver steadied at $34.06 an ounce, platinum fell 0.4% to $988.35, and palladium gained 0.3% to $985.86.

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Efforts underway to expand Afghanistan’s trade relations with India

A number of investors also suggest that the Islamic Emirate should actively participate in regional and trade fairs to increase exports, so that Afghan products can be marketed in regional and global markets.

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The Ministry of Industry and Commerce says that efforts are underway to expand trade relations with India, the volume of which reaches $650 million annually.

Abdulsalam Jawad Akhundzada, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, says that India is also interested in expanding trade relations with Afghanistan, and Kabul has also taken steps in this regard by using Chabahar Port, and talks have been held with the Indian side on visas.

The Chamber of Commerce and Investment also says that trade relations between Afghanistan and India are expanding and these relations are strengthening with each passing day. According to officials of the chamber, Afghanistan has exported goods worth $500 million to India in the past year.

A number of investors also suggest that the Islamic Emirate should actively participate in regional and trade fairs to increase exports, so that Afghan products can be marketed in regional and global markets.

According to investors, once the visa issues with India are resolved, a large portion of the country’s fresh and dried fruits will be exported to India because India is a good market for Afghan fruits in the region.

Investors want the Islamic Emirate to pave the way for increased exports to India through Chabahar Port.

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36 mining contracts inked over the past year: Mines ministry

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The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says it has signed 36 large and small mining contracts, with a total value of $1.3 billion over the past year.

Officials from the ministry stated that these contracts include 10 large mines, 25 small mines, as well as projects related to cement, salt, marble, and a major gas extraction contract with Uzbekistan, all signed with both domestic and foreign companies.

Meanwhile, economic experts have emphasized the importance of increasing investments in the mining sector for the country’s economic growth. They have stressed that priority in mining contracts should be given to domestic companies.

“It is better to prioritize domestic investors over foreign ones,” said Kamaluddin Kakar, an economic expert.

In the meantime, members of the private sector also stated that if both foreign companies and Afghan investors can partner in the mining sector, this will not only foster investment development in the country but also bring positive changes in capacity building within the mining extraction sector.

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