LAHORE - The Lahore High Court was informed on Thursday that the transit trade agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan had not yet been signed, and just a ministerial level meeting was held on July 17 between the two countries to finalise the transit trade plan. In this regard, Deputy Attorney General Muhammad Nasim Kashmiri submitted a letter written by Trade and Transport Facilitation Unit (TTFU) Project Director Syed Irtiqa Ahmed Zaidi which said that no such agreement had yet been signed. Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif was hearing a petition filed by Mian Muhammad Ather through his counsel Shafqat Mahmood Chohan challenging the transit trade pact between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The petitioner was of the view that transit trade would promote drugs and arms trafficking from Afghanistan into Pakistan. The petitioner said he believed that the agreement was signed in the presence of US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and was meant to advance the US agenda in the region. He feared the pact would benefit only India in the long run. On this, the CJ had sought a copy of the Af-Pak Transit Trade Agreement. However, the TTFUs letter said that Only 'note for the record of the meeting held between the ministries of commerce and finance of Afghanistan and Pakistan has been signed on July 17. Seeing the letter, the CJ noted, The letter clearly shows that no such agreement has been signed between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and singing of the 'note for the record does not mean that the pact has been signed. Adding that the petition against the Af-Pak Transit Trade Agreement was premature, the CJ disposed of the petition. Earlier, the petitioner submitted that respondents including Federation of Pakistan, Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Commerce & Trade and Finance Ministry had unlawfully entered into an agreement on July 19 with the Government of Afghanistan for the trade transactions of certain goods required by the Afghanistan from India. He submitted that under the agreement goods would be released at the borders of Pakistan without checking, verification, duties and taxes by the Government of Pakistan and it would also be responsible for safe transfer of the said goods into Afghanistan. The petitioner contended that the trade agreement was totally against the public policy as enshrined under Article 20 of the Constitution. He submitted that the respondents illegally signed the agreement under which they were duty bound to present the agreement before the Federal Cabinet for approval. He submitted that the agreement would affect the economy of the country due to free movement of commodities and smuggling. The petitioner pleaded the court to declare the agreement illegal and respondents be directed to submit original agreement before the court. The petitioners counsel submitted before the court that on one hand it was published in newspapers that the agreement had been signed but on the other side Prime Minister of Pakistan stated that the same would be signed after approval of the Parliament.