Pakistan stonewalls transit trade agreement

Consensus over a proposed agreement on transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained elusive during a special meeting on the stalled Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement, Business Recorder reported.

This is in spite of the considerable pressure from the United States on Pakistan to agree to an Afghan proposal to open a land route enabling India to trade with Afghanistan.

Such a move would, without doubt, benefit both India and Afghanistan - India because it would enable it to offer a competitive price to not only Afghan buyers, but also to the lucrative Central Asian market, and Afghanistan as it would charge fees for the transit of Indian goods to Central Asia, as well as further strengthen the diplomatic ties that exist between the two governments.

Pakistan, in contrast, is forecast to lose US$2 billion if it allows land access to Indian goods destined for the Afghan market.

Unless, there is a win-win situation with trade concessions extended by India on a reciprocal basis that favour Pakistani trade, with say landlocked Nepal/Bhutan through India, Pakistan will continue to stonewall the proposal of opening the Wagah border for Indian trade with Kabul.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)