Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan has threatened to shut the Afghan transit route for Pakistani exports to Central Asia if Pakistan does not allow Afghan traders to use Lahore’s Wagah border for trade with India.

“If Pakistan does not allow Afghan traders to use the Wagah border, Afghanistan will also not allow Pakistan to use Afghan transit routes to reach Central Asia for exports,” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a meeting with Owen Jenkins, UK’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan in Kabul.

Afghanistan is no more a landlocked country as it has many transit routes for the import and export of goods,” a statement quoted President Ghani as saying.

The statement came amid tension between the two countries in the backdrop of Pakistan’s decision to install a new mechanism at Torkham border that will bound every Afghan to carry valid travelling document for crossing the border.

The Afghan president said Kabul was making efforts to boost economic cooperation in the region and wanted Islamabad and other regional countries to remove all technical problems that create obstacles in economic cooperation.

Afghan sources said Pakistan was reluctant to grant permission to Kabul to use land route to deliver goods at the Indian border town of Attari via Wagah in view its relations with New Delhi.

“We have asked that our goods, mostly fresh fruit, be allowed to go up to Attari and then transferred to Indian trucks in a back to back arrangement which will enhance our export of fruit to India, besides reducing cost,” added sources.

In a veiled reference, the Afghan president accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism, saying the recently terrorist attack showed that the terrorists were funded from outside.

“Support to the terrorist groups is an action contrary to the good neighbourhood and all international norms and action of the neighbouring country is no more acceptable to the people and government of Afghanistan,” the statement added.