KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban regime Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has instructed Afghan traders to reduce their reliance on Pakistan for trade and adopt alternative trade routes.
Speaking to local media, Baradar emphasized that all Afghan traders and industrialists should focus on other trading partners instead of Pakistan and implement alternative import-export options as soon as possible.
Baradar warned that traders who continue business with Pakistan would not receive government support or consideration. He criticized the quality of medicines imported from Pakistan and announced a three-month grace period for importers to close their trade accounts with Pakistan.
The Deputy Prime Minister claimed that Afghanistan now has access to alternative trade routes and that its economic relations with regional countries have strengthened compared to the past.
He added that if Pakistan wishes to reopen trade routes with Afghanistan, it must provide guarantees that these routes will not be closed in the future.
Senator Dr. Afnanullah Khan noted on social media that Baradar effectively announced a halt to imports from Pakistan, although the Pakistani government had already closed the border with Afghanistan several weeks earlier.
This move comes amid ongoing trade disruptions between the two countries, with previous reports noting temporary suspension of bilateral trade due to security concerns.
