Bayan News – The Union of Afghan Carriers and Importers residing in China report new restrictions that have hindered Afghan traders’ activities at the Karachi port. They claim that Islamabad has imposed fresh limitations on transit goods to Afghanistan.
Haji Khan Agha Gulzad, the head of the Union of Afghan Carriers and Importers in China, stated in a press conference in Kabul on Friday, October 5th, that thousands of containers of transit goods for Afghan traders have been halted by Pakistan at the Karachi port.
According to him, the political objectives and demands of neighboring countries have always posed a challenge to Afghanistan’s trade, creating issues such as the suspension of Afghan containers.
The head of the Union of Afghan Carriers further emphasized that Islamabad, without considering international and trade laws, is dealing a blow of millions of dollars to Afghan traders by halting transit goods. He stressed that the Pakistani government should not approach trade and transit issues politically but address its concerns through diplomatic channels.
Similarly, Naematullah Momandyar, the deputy of this union, expressed concerns that Afghan traders have always been victims of the political demands of neighboring countries. He emphasized that instead of facilitating economic and trade growth in Afghanistan, Pakistan is creating problems.
Momandyar provided statistics that in the past 45 days, each container that has been halted incurs damages of up to $200 US dollars.
According to Momandyar, Islamabad has never wanted Afghanistan to achieve economic and trade progress. Whenever Afghan traders make advances in export achievements and there are no issues at the transit routes, Pakistan creates obstacles.
However, some traders criticize the actions of the Pakistani government, stating that they are forced to redirect their transit goods away from the Karachi port.
Noor Ahmad Bashardost, one of the Kabul traders, added to the event’s news that he regrets transferring his commercial goods to Pakistan as he has suffered damages of over $50,000 due to the suspension of six containers.
This comes at a time when relations between Kabul and Islamabad have deteriorated in recent months due to the escalation of security threats in Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities claim that Afghan citizens are involved in armed attacks on Pakistani soil, an allegation that has consistently been denied by the interim government in Kabul.
Recently, the Pakistani government has set a deadline for Afghan migrants residing in the country to leave Pakistani territory as soon as possible.
