PESHAWAR: Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, on Wednesday urged Afghan traders and industrialists to end their reliance on Pakistan for imports and exports and seek alternative routes within three months, warning that the government would no longer take responsibility for problems arising from commerce through its southern neighbor.

The directive underscores the breakdown of trust between the two neighbors, whose relations have plunged as Islamabad accuses the Kabul government of harboring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which frequently claims attacks against Pakistani state targets. 

The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has remained closed since last month following deadly clashes between the two nations and Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory. Relations are likely to grow even more strained after a suicide bombing in Islamabad this week that killed 12 people and an attempted assault on a cadet college in the country’s northwest, which Pakistan has blamed on militants operating from Afghan soil. Kabul denies it harbors insurgent groups. 

“All the country’s traders and industrialists should seek alternative routes for trade… those items that we were buying in Pakistan, now other markets and countries be explored,” Baradar said during a meeting with traders in Kabul. 

“After this notice, if traders continue to export and import items to and from Pakistan, then the Islamic Emirate has no responsibility to hear their grievances or address their issues.”

Baradar gave traders three months to wind up their contracts and accounts in Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of repeatedly exploiting trade and humanitarian matters for political leverage. He cited the closure of routes during Afghan harvest seasons and the import of “low-quality medicines” from Pakistan as major problems.

“Pakistan has repeatedly blocked trade routes… and has politically exploited commercial and humanitarian matters, harming traders and industrialists of both countries,” Baradar said.

Pakistan has long served as Afghanistan’s primary transit corridor for goods and aid, but bilateral commerce, constantly at the mercy of political relations, has been hit hard by escalating tensions, cross-border attacks and visa restrictions.

Afghanistan’s realistic alternatives to Pakistan’s trade routes lie to its north and west, through Iran, Central Asia, and China. The Chabahar Port in Iran, developed with Indian support, offers a viable maritime outlet via the Arabian Sea that bypasses Pakistan entirely, though its use has been limited by sanctions and logistics costs. To the north, Afghanistan has access to Central Asian corridors through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan, connecting to regional transport networks like the Trans-Caspian International Route and China’s Belt and Road corridors. 

However, these routes are longer, more expensive, and less efficient for perishable goods, meaning that while diversification is possible, replacing Pakistan’s short and cost-effective access to Karachi and Gwadar ports remains a major challenge.

Bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan totaled nearly $2 billion in fiscal year 2024-25, according to official data from both sides. Pakistan exported about $1.14 billion worth of goods, mainly food products, construction materials, textiles, and pharmaceuticals, while importing coal, dried fruits, gemstones, and agricultural produce valued at roughly $850 million from Afghanistan. 

Despite periodic border closures and political tensions, Afghanistan remains one of Pakistan’s top regional trading partners, with much of the commerce conducted through the key Torkham and Chaman crossings that link the two countries’ supply chains and consumer markets.