The joint Afghanistan-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce criticizes the continued imposition of restrictions on Afghan transit goods from Pakistan.

According to the chamber, in the last two months, traders have lost more than twenty million dollars.

“The conditions they have imposed are against the international agreement and WTO agreements, therefore we cannot bring our property under the same conditions as they have imposed,” said Khanjan Alokozai, a member of the ACCI.

Nearly two months have passed since Pakistan's restrictions on Afghanistan's goods in transit through Pakistan, and more than 4,000 merchant containers have been stopped at Karachi port.

Meanwhile, some traders called on the Islamic Emirate to work to solve the trade problems between Kabul and Islamabad, saying a permanent agreement should be reached, and attention should also be paid to reducing the cost of transporting goods through Iran's Chabahar port.

“Reach an understanding among themselves that both sides can export their goods through the transit by Afghans through Pakistan and Pakistan through Afghanistan to other countries. If these problems are not resolved soon, huge losses will be caused to our traders,” said Mahbobullah Mohammadi, a trader.

“If we can open our way as a neighbor of China through the Wakhan Corridor, we will get rid of the need and we will not have any other ports, and the price of goods will be very cheap,” said Azrakhsh Hafizi, an economist. 

But the Islamic Emirate said that if Pakistan does not remove the imposed restrictions, they will use alternative ways.

“We have definitely shared the issue with Pakistan, they have promised us that it will be resolved soon, we will try to resolve the issue and our traders will not suffer more losses, and secondly, we have also thought of alternative ways,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.

Earlier, the officials of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment in the meeting with the head of UNAMA, Roza Otunbayeva, called on Pakistan to allow the goods of traders to enter through Pakistan based on international transit laws.