Stanikzai urges Pakistan to keep Afghanistan’s trade routes open, warns of retaliation

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban Political Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, urged Pakistan to stop creating obstacles for Afghan traders, especially during the peak trading season for summer fruits and vegetables.

Speaking to a group of traders in Logar province, Stanikzai emphasized that closing trade and transit routes into Pakistan is not beneficial for either country.

“Afghanistan serves as a vital transit route between Pakistan and Central Asia,” he said. “We could close our borders and cause them problems, but we do not wish to harm our Pakistani brothers across the border.”

He added, “We ask them to keep their borders open during Afghanistan’s fruit and vegetable season so that these products can reach their markets and beyond, including India and other countries.”

This is the first time Kabul has suggested the possibility of closing Pakistan’s transit route to Central Asia as a response to Islamabad’s trade restrictions.

The closure of trade routes during the fruit and vegetable season, along with Pakistan’s increase in customs tariffs and non-compliance with trade agreements, has led to a 10% decline in Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan in the first five months of this year.

Meanwhile, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Political Deputy of the Taliban’s Prime Minister, urged India to resolve visa issues for Afghan traders, particularly those involved in the export of dry fruits. He stressed that visa facilitation would help strengthen trade relations between the two countries.

Kabir emphasized that the removal of trade and transit barriers would contribute significantly to the economic stability of Afghanistan, enabling traders to expand their markets and improve the livelihoods of millions of Afghans.

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