INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the political deputy minister of foreign affairs, has called on Pakistan to avoid creating problems for
Afghan traders especially during the trading season of summer fruits and vegetables.Addressing a gathering of traders in Logar province,
Stanikzai said that closing the trade and transit route into Pakistan is not in the interests of either country.“Afghanistan is a transit
route between Pakistan and Central Asia,” he said
We can create problems for them, but we don’t want to create problems for our Pakistani brothers across the border.”“We therefore ask
them to keep their borders open during the fruit and vegetable season in Afghanistan so that fruits and vegetables can reach their people
and provinces and through them to India and other countries.”This is the first time that Kabul has hinted at closing Pakistan’s transit
route to Central Asia in response to Islamabad’s trade hurdles.Officials at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce say they are trying to
remove export obstacles as achieving economic self-sufficiency is one of the priorities of the Islamic Emirate.The closure of trade routes
to Afghan traders during the fruit and vegetable season, raising customs tariffs by Pakistan and non-compliance with trade agreements
between the two countries have caused Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan to fall by 10 percent in the first five months of this year.The
post Stanikzai warns Pakistan against closing the trade route from Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News.
