ISLAMABAD   -  The National Logistics Corpo­ration (NLC) has achieved an­other major milestone in boost­ing the country’s regional trade with Central Asian state of Ta­jikistan by successfully trans­porting Pakistani potato export consignment to Dushanbe.

The NLC effectively gained access to increase trade with another important Central Asian country as the convoy of NLC trucks reached the Tajik capital of Dushanbe after cov­ering more than 1,400 kilome­ters (km), an official source told APP. The trucks of Nation­al Logistics Cell completed the journey from Okara and Rahim Yar Khan to Dushanbe in just seven days. However, a special ceremony was held at Dushanbe Customs Terminal One on the arrival of the inau­gural convoy under Interna­tional Road Transport.

The inauguration ceremo­ny was attended by notable personalities including Tajik Minister of Transport Azim Ibrahim, Director General of NLC Farrukh Shehzad Rao, Pakistani Ambassador Mu­hammad Saeed Sarwar, Cus­toms Department officials and prominent Tajik busi­nessmen. Addressing the cer­emony, the Tajikistan’s Minis­ter of Transport appreciated the official launch of ground transportation by Pakistan’s leading logistics organization.

The Minister of Transport of Tajikistan said, “This initiative marks an important milestone in bilateral trade relations between the two countries.” The Tajik minister expressed confidence while appreciating Pakistan’s role as an important trade partner in the region.

The Transport Minister as­sured unwavering support to further facilitate smooth move­ment of Pakistani trucks to Ta­jikistan. The Director General of NLC emphasized the impor­tance of Tajikistan in trade through NLC. He thanked the Tajik Government for its sup­port in facilitating the move­ment of the NLC convoy.

Farrukh Shahzad Rao em­phasized on the promotion of mutual trade and said, “Trade through NLC under the TIR (International Road Trans­port) system will facilitate timely and efficient import and export of both coun­tries.” Major General Farrukh Shahzad Rao highlighted the important role of NLC in es­tablishing regional linkages while referring to the exten­sive operations of NLC spread across 10 countries in region.