July 02, 2020
Pakistan is going to open Angor Adda and Kharlachi border crossings for trade with Afghanistan. After necessary arrangements by both sides, the two crossings are likely to become operational from July 12, 2020. Torkham, Chaman and Ghulam Khan crossings are already open since June 22, 2020, after a brief lull due to COVID-19 pandemic.
This was tweeted by Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, today. An enhanced compatibility in trade infrastructure on both sides will help realize shared goal of optimum trade, connectivity and people to people facilitation between the two countries, he added.
Moreover, in the spirit of brotherly cooperation and regional connectivity, Pakistan also shared Torkham and Chaman border terminal master plans with Afghanistan to enable concurrent and complimentary development on Afghan side.
International trade, as a tool for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction, is at a priority for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), across the globe. Particularly, in developing countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, having been badly affected by perpetual instability, improved trade governance can help people earn better livelihoods. This would also draw-down the fodder for negative activities; paving way for the people to contribute positively to the development of their respective countries.
Cross-border trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, has a history of its own economics; embedded in strategic, political, security and social context of the region. The two countries are involved in both bilateral and transit trade, which has often been marred by fluctuations. Therefore, the potential for socio-economic gains has remained under-utilized. The most vulnerable to such fluctuations are the local populace, residing on both sides of the border, whose livelihoods depend on cross-border activities, such as transportation, small trade and daily wage labor.
However, now it seems that Pakistan’s targeted interventions to strengthen cross-border trade with Afghanistan will have positive spill-over effects in general and within Pak-Afghan border areas in particular. Opening a chain of border crossing points along Pak-Afghan border will greatly reduce the transaction costs; hence, boosting the economy, a win-win for both the countries.
Earlier, on June 22, 2020, Mohammad Sadiq, while speaking at a virtual focus group discussion of Afghan and Pakistani traders convened by Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), stated that the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan should be led by trade diplomacy, which will automatically resolve all other issues between the two countries.
To resolve the issues faced by traders on both sides of the border, Sadiq affirmed that transit and bilateral trades should be addressed separately with distinct mechanisms put in place for their effective resolution. He stated that at the moment his priority is to address the issues of the Afghan traders in Pakistan.
With the news of the opening multiple border crossings with Afghanistan, Islamabad seems to be proactively moving towards resolving most of the Pak-Afghan traders’ concerns in the near future.
The report is written by Saddam Hussein, Program Officer at Afghan Studies Center.
© Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Afghan Studies Center (ASC), Islamabad.
