Afghans see Pakistan trade route as most viable despite festering tensions

Stranded trucks are pictured near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham on January 16, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 27 March 2024
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Afghans see Pakistan trade route as most viable despite festering tensions

  • Afghanistan-Pakistan bilateral trade amounted to $1.8 billion in 2022-23
  • Afghanistan has set sights on Iran’s Chabahar as alternative to Pakistani ports

Kabul/Peshawar: Afghans say access to international markets through Pakistan is still the most viable option for their landlocked country, as bilateral trade talks took place in Kabul this week to resolve obstructions amid heightened border tensions.

The neighboring countries have traded blame in recent months over who is responsible for a recent spate of militant attacks in Pakistan. Islamabad says the attacks are launched mostly from safe havens in Afghanistan.

Kabul’s ruling Taliban deny this and blame Islamabad for not being able to handle its own security challenges.

Tensions have also worsened as Islamabad began expelling more than a million undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghans, from Nov. 1 last year, amid the row over accusations that Kabul harbored Pakistani militants.

The situation has also led to economic losses, as key border crossings for trade and travel have been intermittently closed.

Pakistan’s delegation led by Commerce Secretary Khurram Agha arrived in Kabul on Monday for negotiations with the Taliban administration.

“God willing, the talks will lead to better results to encourage bilateral trade and businesses,” Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, an Afghan commerce ministry spokesperson, told Arab News on Wednesday, adding that concrete details would come out after the conclusion of the talks.




Pakistan’s delegation led by Commerce Secretary Khurram Agha (right) is pictured holding talks with Afghan government (left) is Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 26, 2024. (@MoICAfghanistan/X)

The government of the landlocked country has repeatedly accused Pakistan of using access to its ports as a political leverage, curtailing efforts to revive the economy that has been reeling under international sanctions since mid-2021, when the Taliban took power.

Ziaulhaq Amarkhil, former governor of the Nangarhar province, which is linked with Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province via the Torkham crossing, said that trade route was the most feasible one for Afghans in terms of time and costs.

“But unfortunately, the route has been politicized in recent years,” he told Arab News.

“Every time Afghan traders transfer more goods, they are blocked in Karachi port ... This has caused Afghan traders tremendous loss in the form of demurrage and their goods got rotten and wasted because of the delay.”

The ongoing negotiations are taking place also as Afghanistan has set sights on the Iranian port of Chabahar as an alternative to Pakistani ones.

The Taliban announced in late February a $35 million investment in Chabahar, which besides Pakistan’s Gwadar, Qasim and Karachi is the closest access point to the Indian Ocean for Afghanistan.

Amarkhil believes the Iranian port is the only way out of the deadlock with Islamabad.

“For a permanent solution, Afghanistan should expand the investment already done in Chabahar to connect the country with international markets even though it may require more time and investment,” he said.

But that solution was not likely to be available in the near future. Amin Stanekzai, economist and lecturer at the Rokhan Institute of Higher Education in Nangarhar, said the Iranian port could not be an alternative.

“Chabahar can be used to reduce pressure, but its potential as a complete replacement is currently limited,” he told Arab News.

“Afghanistan is heavily reliant on South Asian countries for imports, and in terms of cost and time, Qasim, Gawadar and Karachi ports are more viable options for Afghan traders.

Chabahar, on the other hand, can be used as a substitute to reduce the pressure, but it is currently less effective as a complete replacement.”

“PRACTICAL RESULTS”

Despite political tensions, bilateral trade ties remained vital for both the Afghan and the Pakistani economy.

Trade between the two countries amounted to $1.8 billion in 2022-23, according to Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce data.




An Afghan security personnel stands guard as a truck arrives from Pakistan near the zero point Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, in Nangarhar province on January 23, 2024. (AFP/File)

“Even though trade and political relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have seen a lot of ups and downs in the last few decades, the level of trade and transit between the two countries is still on a high graph and this means that both countries can benefit from improving trade and transit relations,” Stanekzai said.

“Trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan is important because these two countries have historically been important trade and transit partners. If we look historically and socially, we know how close and dependent the economies of these two countries are.”

While there was bitterness among Afghan traders, there was hope on the ground for improvements.

Hajji Rohullah, an Afghan fruit and vegetable exporter, said the Pakistan route was “the most convenient way of doing exports and imports,” but it was difficult as the neighbor’s political situation was frequently changing and affecting trade.

“When the peak fruit or vegetable season arrives in Afghanistan, Pakistan makes sure to find a reason to close the border crossing.

Last year, hundreds of tons of vegetables got rotten in Torkham and Jalalabad because the door was closed without any prior notice,” he told Arab News.

“We need practical results ... We hope that the Islamic Emirate (of Afghanistan) can bring some improvements in the relations with Pakistan to support businesses and facilitate trade and transit.”


Pakistan government says won’t take ‘unilateral’ decision on new digital media authority 

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Pakistan government says won’t take ‘unilateral’ decision on new digital media authority 

  • Government drafting new law for social media platforms, including setting up digital rights body
  • Digital rights activists fear new authority could be used to stifle criticism and quell freedom of speech

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Monday the government had no intention to pass legislation “unilaterally” to set up a new digital media authority, reassuring journalists that all stakeholders would be consulted in the process.

The government initiated consultations this month over a new draft law aimed at regulating social media platforms, including by setting up a new digital rights protection body, prompting concerns from rights activists that the council would be used to stifle criticism and freedom of speech.

The popular social media platform X has been blocked in Pakistan for over three months after widespread allegations of election manipulation and calls for protests in the wake of Feb. 8 general polls.

Earlier this month, the government launched a new National Cybercrimes Investigation Agency to probe electronic crimes and confirmed that it was working on a draft law to regulate social media content.

“The government has no intention of unilateral legislation regarding the establishment of Digital Media Authority,” state-run Radio Pakistan said in report quoting Tarar after he met a delegation from the National Press Club Islamabad.

“He said all journalist organizations and press clubs will be taken into confidence on the matter.”

Last week, ruling party Senator Afnan Ullah Khan told Arab News the government was working on a draft law to regulate social media content “as we want to curb disinformation and hate speech being spread through these platforms.”

“A committee led by the federal law minister is discussing the draft law as we have to ensure people’s right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression as well,” he added, ruling out concerns the government wanted to muffle its rivals and critics.

Khan said the draft law would be tabled in parliament for debate within four weeks.

“Opposition parties or any parliamentarian can object to any clause of the bill once it is presented in parliament for vote,” he said.

“We want to protect digital rights of our users instead of imposing any restrictions, but at the same time we want those to be prosecuted who violate the law by inciting hate speech and pedaling disinformation, or any content against the national security,” he added.

The draft law may propose the establishment of a digital rights protection authority to ensure effective enforcement of laws, Khan said but “all this will be disclosed to the media and public once the bill is tabled in parliament for discussion.”


Pakistan’s Punjab closes schools for seven days amid heat wave warning

Updated 31 min 34 sec ago
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Pakistan’s Punjab closes schools for seven days amid heat wave warning

  • Schools will be allowed to conduct examinations as scheduled with necessary precautions in place
  • Disaster management authority said last week heat wave would hit Sindh, Punjab provinces in May and June 

ISLAMABAD: Public and private schools in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province will remain closed from May 25-31 due to a heat wave expected to last until the end of the month, the provincial education department said on Monday. 

Pakistan’s disaster management authority warned last Thursday temperatures in certain areas of Pakistan’s southern Sindh and eastern Punjab provinces could surge to 40 degrees Celsius between May 15-30. On Sunday, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned of an “intense” heat wave in the southern districts of Punjab, with severe risk identified in Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan districts from May 21 to May 27.

“In view of the surge in temperature and heat wave in the province, all public and private schools shall remain closed for seven days with effect from 25th May 2024 to 31st May 2024,” a notification from the provincial education department read, adding that exams could be conducted during these days with necessary precautions in place. 

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikander Hayat shared the notification on social media platform X, saying the safety of children would always remain the government’s “priority.”

The PDMA’s Sunday statement urged citizens to take precautionary measures. 

“Avoid exertion and exercise in strong sunlight,” it said. “Do not step out of the house unnecessarily. Wear light colored cotton clothes.”

Increased exposure to heat, and more heat waves, have been identified as one of the key impacts of climate change in Pakistan, with people experiencing extreme heat and seeing some of the highest temperatures in the world in recent years. The South Asian country of more than 241 million, one of the ten most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts, has also recently witnessed untimely downpours, flash floods and droughts.

Climate change-induced extreme heat can cause illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia. It can make certain chronic conditions worse, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular disease and diabetes-related conditions, and can also result in acute incidents, such as hospitalizations due to strokes or renal disease.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, nearly 10,000 Pakistanis have died while the country has suffered economic losses worth $3.8 billion due to climate change impacts between 1999 and 2018. A deadly heat wave that hit Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh, claimed 120 lives in 2015.

In 2022, torrential monsoon rains triggered the most devastating floods in Pakistan’s history, killing around 1,700 people and affecting over 33 million, a staggering number close to the population of Canada. Millions of homes, tens of thousands of schools and thousands of kilometers of roads and railways are yet to be rebuilt.
 


Pakistan, Turkiye set new goal to enhance bilateral trade volume to $5 billion 

Updated 48 min 34 sec ago
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Pakistan, Turkiye set new goal to enhance bilateral trade volume to $5 billion 

  • Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad on Sunday on two-day visit
  • Pakistani and Turkish FMs says current $1 billion trade volume does not reflect potential

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Türkiye on Monday set the goal of enhancing bilateral trade volume to $5 billion, vowing to hold a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) meeting in Islamabad in the “very near future.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad on Sunday on a two-day official visit amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost foreign investments and better manage its $350 billion economy. 

The South Asian nation has seen a flurry of foreign visits in recent weeks, including by the Iranian president, Saudi foreign minister, a delegation of top Saudi companies as well as officials from Qatar, China, Japan and Central Asian countries, among others. 

On Monday, Pakistan and Turkiye engaged in delegation-level talks focusing on trade, investment, connectivity and defense ties, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar representing Pakistan and Foreign Minister Fidan leading the Turkish delegation.

“We are taking measures to increase our trade to reach $5 billion and planning to hold the next session of the bilateral trade talks in the coming days,” Dar said at a joint media stakeout, without specifying a time period in which the new trade target would be achieved.

“We are planning to hold an HLSCC meeting in Islamabad in the very near future which would carry out a comprehensive review of our ongoing cooperation, including a holistic review of our bilateral, strategic, and economic framework.

“With each passing day, trade, investment and defense relations, as well as people-to-people contacts constitute the basis of our ongoing bilateral cooperation.”

Speaking at the press conference, Fidan said Pakistan held “major strategic and economic importance” due to its location bordering China and the Arabian Sea, positioning it at a junction of energy-rich countries and major economies.

He endorsed Dar’s statement that current bilateral trade volume of $1 billion did not reflect potential and should be enhanced to $5 billion:

“We have taken a principal decision in order to broaden our relations not only in trade but also in defense ... Pakistan is our strategic partner, and our cooperation supports regional stability and safety as well. I would like to once again highlight that we stand with Pakistan in their combat against terrorism.”

Dar also highlighted the history of Pak-Türkiye collaboration on defense projects.

“Pakistan and Turkiye are working on various joint ventures and continue to support each other to defend our territorial sovereignty and fight against terrorism in all its manifestations,” the Pakistani official added. “Our two countries have always supported each other on core issues and have assisted each other in the fight against terrorism.”

Pakistan narrowly averted default last summer, and its economy has stabilized after the completion of the last IMF program, with inflation coming down to around 17 percent in April from a record high 38 percent last May.

It is still dealing with a high fiscal shortfall and while it has controlled its external account deficit through import control mechanisms, it has come at the expense of stagnating growth, which is expected to be around 2 percent this year compared to negative growth last year.

The South Asian is also in negotiations with the IMF for a new, longer-term program of at least $6 billion. 


Pakistan rebuilds girls school bombed by suspected militants, classes start today

Updated 20 May 2024
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Pakistan rebuilds girls school bombed by suspected militants, classes start today

  • Two girls schools were bombed in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this month
  • Pakistan witnessed multiple attacks on girls schools until 2019, especially in Swat Valley

ISLAMABAD: The federal education ministry has rebuilt a school bombed by suspected militants last week in Pakistan’s northwest and it will open for classes today, Monday, state-run APP news agency reported.

Two girls schools were bombed in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this month. The first attack targeted the only girls school in the town of Shawa on May 8 while the second school was bombed in an overnight attack last week in the neighboring South Waziristan district.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who have targeted girls schools in the province in the past, saying women should not be educated.

The TTP group was evicted from northwest Pakistan’s Swat and other regions in recent years after successive military operations and believed to be harboring in neighboring Afghanistan. The TTP are a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover of Kabul has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, Islamabad says.

“Tomorrow (Monday), we celebrate the resilience of our daughters and the nation’s commitment to education,” APP said, quoting the education ministry, adding that 120 girls would be back to the classroom on Monday morning.

“This act symbolizes resilience, defiance against extremism, and a firm commitment to providing education for all, especially for the daughters of the nation.”

Similar attacks also took place in May last year when two government schools for girls in Mirali were blown up. No loss of life was reported in the incidents.

Pakistan witnessed multiple attacks on girls schools until 2019, especially in the Swat Valley and elsewhere in the northwest where the Pakistani Taliban long controlled the former tribal regions. In 2012, the insurgents attacked Malala Yousafzai, a teenage student and advocate for the education of girls who went on to become the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.


Pakistan’s religion minister urges pilgrims to promote country’s soft image during Hajj 

Updated 20 May 2024
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Pakistan’s religion minister urges pilgrims to promote country’s soft image during Hajj 

  • Over 22,000 Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2024
  • Annual Islamic pilgrimage Hajj is expected to run from June 14-19 this year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religion minister on Monday urged pilgrims to promote the country’s soft image during Hajj 2024, state-run media reported, as thousands from the South Asian country arrive in Saudi Arabia’s holy cities. 

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime, provided they are financially and physically able to do so.

Pakistani pilgrims have been arriving in Madinah since May 9 when the country launched its pre-Hajj flight operations. At least 22,696 Pakistani pilgrims have since arrived in Madinah through 93 flights, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said on Sunday. 

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain arrived in Makkah last week to review arrangements by the government for Pakistani pilgrims ahead of the annual Islamic pilgrimage. 

“Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain has appealed to the intending Hajj pilgrims to earn a good name for the country during their stay in the holy land of Saudi Arabia,” the state-run Radio Pakistan said. 

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Makkah, Hussain said he was satisfied with arrangements undertaken by the Pakistan Hajj Mission in Makkah. He also visited a hospital for pilgrims in the holy city set up by Pakistan.

“He said that he is very happy over the operational preparedness after visiting various facilities, including the Pakistan Hajj Medical Mission, residential buildings, catering companies’ kitchens providing three meals a day and transport arrangements,” Radio Pakistan said. 

Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which 63,805 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will use private tour operators. This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14-19.

Pilgrims from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi are availing the Makkah Route Initiative facility for the first time. Launched in 2019, the initiative allows for the completion of immigration procedures at the pilgrims’ country of departure. This makes it possible to bypass long immigration and customs checks upon reaching Saudi Arabia, which significantly reduces the waiting time and makes the entry process smoother and faster.

Pakistan expects over 60 percent of pilgrims performing Hajj this year to benefit from the initiative.