Growing tensions on the Pak-Afghan border and deteriorating relations between the neighbouring countries is badly affecting trade between the two, reducing it to $1.5 billion.
“The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries in 2015 was $2.5 billion,” remarked Pakistan-Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries Senior Vice President Zia Ul Haq Sarhadi in an interview with Pakistan Today.
He predicted a further reduction in bilateral trade and the shifting of Afghan transit trade to other neighbouring countries if the situation remained the same between Islamabad and Kabul.
In response to a question, Sarhadi, who has been engaged in Pak-Afghan transit trade for the last six decades, said, “Tension on the Pak-Afghan border and visa restrictions for drivers and transporters are the two major reasons for the reduction of trade links and volume.” But he also complained about the discrimination in tariffs, which according to him is too high for imports from Pakistan compared to other regional countries like Iran, Turkey, India, central Asian republics, and even China.
“One sided changes made by Pakistan in the Afghan transit trade agreement also lead to a diversion of around 70 percent of the transit trade towards Iran’s Cha Bahar and Bandar Abbass forts,” Sarhadi said. “Delays in transportation and dislocation of goods from Karachi to the border towns of Torkham and Chaman also make Afghan traders uncertain.”
Sarhadi recalled that according to the 1965 ATT agreement, all transit goods bound for Afghanistan after arrival in Karachi had to be transported through Pakistan Railways to Chaman and Peshawar. “The system was not only safe and sound but even favourable for Afghan traders,” he remarked, adding, “Now through the NLC, not only Afghans but even their fellow traders and commission agents face numerous problems.”
Zia Ul Haq Sarhadi also alleged that the Indian government is playing a role in polluting relations between the two countries and exploiting a tense situation in favour of its nefarious designs. He said that both Pakistan and Afghanistan are neighbours and its people are linked through unbreakable bonds with each other and that therefore, their rulers and leaders must resolve temporary tensions and rifts.
According to Sarhadi, fellow traders established the Pak-Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries four years ago precisely for strengthening bilateral trade relations between the two countries.
Zia Ul Haq Sarhadi was of the firm belief that the governments of the two countries could easily give an unprecedented boost to bilateral trade by re-visiting their policies towards each other.
The countries not only share a border over 2000 kilometres long, but also similar communal, cultural and religious relations. It is the time for the governments to benefit from of the situation.
