Among 5 joint crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan, only Ghulam Khan crossing is not blocked. According to the Chamber of Commerce and Investments, the restrictions in the trade sector are a loss to both sides and it is needed for Kabul and Islamabad to reach an agreement.
Torkham, Spin Boldak, Ghulam Khan, Dand-e-Patan and Angur Ada are the joint crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Khan Jan Alokozay, head of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, said: “It is a very bad situation since the history of the creation of Pakistan that all our crossings with Pakistan have been blocked. Thousands of vehicles have stopped on that side of Torkham and hundreds of cars on this side of Torkham, and we see that Pakistan is also losing.”
Alokozay said that this is the first time that Pakistan blocked all its crossings with Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) stated that from time to time Pakistan creates problems in trade with Afghanistan and there is a need to make Afghanistan’s trade more diversified in order to solve these challenges.
Mohammad Yunus Momand, the first deputy of the ACCI, said: “Afghanistan has alternative ways and we want to expand relations with regional and neighboring countries and we don’t want relations to be damaged. As an example, we can mention that we want to import fabric from Pakistan but now other countries have taken the market for Pakistan’s fabrics, which is unfortunate for us.”
A number of business people believe that Afghanistan’s trade with the countries of the region should be increased through alternative ways, including Chabahar port.
“We ask the chambers of commerce to find alternative ways for us, like Central Asia, because Pakistan often shuts down when it’s grape or pomegranate season under various excuses,” said Zadran Naseri, a trader.
“The fruit that is outside is also inside the country, they should prepare cold storage and arrange a transit route for us, via Pakistan or India,” said Khwaja Shamsuddin, another trader.
Earlier, Pakistan also closed the Torkham crossing for 9 days, and the blocking of Afghan goods in the port of Karachi caused more than $26 million dollars in losses for the traders of both sides.
Afghan businesspeople continue to call for the release of their commercial goods from Karachi port.
Speaking at a meeting, they said that 1,000 containers of their commercial goods have been stopped in the port of Karachi, Pakistan, for two and a half months, and the Islamic Emirate should facilitate the release of these goods in coordination with Pakistan.
“Most of our capital is stuck in Pakistan. We ask the authorities of the Islamic Emirate to talk to Pakistan as soon as possible and solve the problem,” said Zalmai Azimi, a trader in Nangarhar.
“We used to transfer a ton of cargo for 2,800 afghanis before the creation of the commission, but unfortunately, when the commission was established, our one ton of cargo went from 2,800 Afghanis to 3,500 afghani,” said Zalmai Bahaduri, a trader in Herat.
According to traders, in the past two months they have suffered huge financial losses due to the blocking of their goods in Karachi port.
“In business, there is a group that has risen against us…, and we have shared the problem with the Islamic Emirate many times with the Chamber of Commerce, but our problem has not been solved so far,” said Gul Mohammad, a trader in Kandahar.
“Our problem is that the inspection at the customs happens three months later or a year later, and it is a big loss for us, and we want the inspection to be carried out on the first day when the vehicle arrives at customs,” said Sardar Khan, a trader in Mazar-Sharif.
The Chamber of Commerce and Investment pledged that the effort to create more facilities for traders is underway.
“The problem of traders is that their properties are blocked there. The Chamber of Commerce and Islamic Emirate are trying to cooperate with us,” said Mohammad Yonus Mommand, deputy of the chamber.
Earlier, the Islamic Emirate emphasized that the interim government of Pakistan has promised to release the containers blocked from Karachi port.—Tolonews
