AhlulBayt News Agency: Recent tensions between the interim government of Afghanistan and Pakistan have impacted the trade relations between the two countries. The closure of trade borders has also affected some Shia traders in Afghanistan.
A source from Kabul, who wished to remain anonymous, told a reporter on Sunday that they were involved in coal trade. Before the suspension of trade relations, they used to export coal from the Balkhab district in Sar-e Pol province, Afghanistan, to Pakistan.
The source mentioned that after the tensions between the interim Afghan government and Pakistan, the trade borders were closed, and the process of exports and imports has significantly decreased.
In recent years, coal from Afghanistan, especially from Balkhab, was regularly exported to Pakistan. However, the number of trucks carrying these exports has drastically reduced in the past month.
Increase in Afghanistan's Exports via Iran and Central Asia Routes
Following the tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Taliban officials recently announced that the dependence on Pakistan for transporting commercial goods has decreased. Exports through Iran and Central Asia have increased dramatically.
Abdul Salam Jawad, the spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Industry and Commerce, stated that to prevent frequent delays at the border and to ease political pressure from Islamabad, the Afghan government has started using the Chabahar port and shifted transit agreements to other routes.
This official also provided statistics, revealing that trade with Pakistan had reached $1.1 billion in the past six months. However, trade with Iran during the same period reached $1.6 billion.
He added that the services provided by Chabahar Port have reduced delays in exports and imports, which has also increased the confidence of Afghan traders.
It is worth noting that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, had recently given Afghan traders three months to settle their contracts with Pakistan and shift their trade routes.
The Taliban government has also announced a ban on the import of medicines from Pakistan to Afghanistan for three months.
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