Nooruddin Azizi, Taliban’s Trade Minister, announced at an exhibition opening ceremony in Kabul that approximately 12,000 Afghan cargo containers are stuck in Pakistani ports, causing heavy losses to the country’s merchants.
He stated that trade restrictions with Pakistan were implemented out of necessity.
Azizi emphasized that Afghanistan’s routes will remain open for regional trade and the country is working to establish new export and transit routes to reduce economic dependence on its southern neighbor.
This comes as more than fifteen days have passed since the closure of border crossings between the two countries.
According to reports, Kabul is considering options including expanding cooperation with Iran through Chabahar port, utilizing Central Asian routes, and strengthening transit paths through Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The suspension of Afghan goods transit through Karachi port has also disrupted a major portion of the country’s exports.
