Is Pakistan going to permanently lose the Afghan market, or is the current halt in cross-border goods movement just another temporary glitch in bilateral trade?
For now, it is difficult to predict the future trajectory of economic ties between the two neighbours. However, there are growing indications that the Taliban regime in Kabul is steadily reducing its reliance on Pakistan and actively seeking alternative markets and routes for both its exports and transit trade.
Last week, Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar, ordered all Afghan traders to settle their contracts within three months, advising them to explore new markets for their goods and trading routes.
“If Pakistan wants the routes to be opened, it will do so with firm and credible guarantees that they will not be closed again under any circumstances or conditions,” he said. The message is unmistakable: Kabul is prepared to sever economic ties unless Islamabad commits to ensuring unobstructed commerce in the future.
If links with Afghanistan remain closed, an estimated 90pc of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s industry could
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