Afghan-Pak Transit Trade

[Ahmad]

sea ????????????? i am so sorry you don't even see afghan map until now?you can go afghanistan only via pakistan or air.

he probably means through persian gulf/iran. but i am not sure, he will answer this question himself.

 

[Hutchroy]

We know on who's behalf these elements from Afghanistan speak, so you better not tell me who is asking for it.


Indeed everyone wants a shortest path to save money but why on earth we should let that happen on our cost. Simple as that.

We can not destroy our trade as well as security by allowing India a trade route.

Afghanistan can be more benefited by having the same with Iran, Pakistan and China.

Madam Jana,

Being a Journalist you must be aware that the Port of Chabahar was opened nearly Thirty Years ago also that the Indian Conglomerate "Larsen and Toubro" is improving & modernizing the port so that it can host large Ships.

India is looking at its trade with Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and the other Central Asian Republics and although the Pakistan – Afghanistan Route is shorter, especially for Goods emanating from Northern India, the route via Iran to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan is relatively shorter than via Pakistan and Afghanistan (Two Transit Countries).

Iran is providing many financial benefits by way of miniscule expenses at Chabahar and would eventually for large consignments be cheaper than via Pakistan.

The main reason Pakistan is protesting that in spite of the Transit dues payable by Indian Goods it Pakistani Industry and Goods that will most probably face very stiff competition from Indian Goods.

As such it is in Pakistan’s overall as well as long term interest to deny “Transit” facilities to Indian Goods.

Thus Pakistan’s Interest, being paramount, come First.

Simple.

 

[r3alist]

Madam Jana,

Being a Journalist you must be aware that the Port of Chabahar was opened nearly Thirty Years ago also that the Indian Conglomerate "Larsen and Toubro" is improving & modernizing the port so that it can host large Ships.

India is looking at its trade with Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and the other Central Asian Republics and although the Pakistan – Afghanistan Route is shorter, especially for Goods emanating from Northern India, the route via Iran to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan is relatively shorter than via Pakistan and Afghanistan (Two Transit Countries).

Iran is providing many financial benefits by way of miniscule expenses at Chabahar and would eventually for large consignments be cheaper than via Pakistan.

The main reason Pakistan is protesting that in spite of the Transit dues payable by Indian Goods it Pakistani Industry and Goods that will most probably face very stiff competition from Indian Goods.

As such it is in Pakistan’s overall as well as long term interest to deny “Transit” facilities to Indian Goods.

Thus Pakistan’s Interest, being paramount, come First.

Simple.

hello hutch,

glad someone speaks some simple common sense.

 

[Ahmad]

DRDO Pakistan will do what ever it is in it's interest.It is stupid for you to assume we will work for Afghanistan's interest.Everyone for itself buddy.

very true brother, that is what i am saying all the time, but some people dont agree with me.

 

[Spring Onion]

Madam Jana,

Being a Journalist you must be aware that the Port of Chabahar was opened nearly Thirty Years ago also that the Indian Conglomerate "Larsen and Toubro" is improving & modernizing the port so that it can host large Ships.

India is looking at its trade with Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and the other Central Asian Republics and although the Pakistan – Afghanistan Route is shorter, especially for Goods emanating from Northern India, the route via Iran to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan is relatively shorter than via Pakistan and Afghanistan (Two Transit Countries).

Iran is providing many financial benefits by way of miniscule expenses at Chabahar and would eventually for large consignments be cheaper than via Pakistan.

The main reason Pakistan is protesting that in spite of the Transit dues payable by Indian Goods it Pakistani Industry and Goods that will most probably face very stiff competition from Indian Goods.

As such it is in Pakistan’s overall as well as long term interest to deny “Transit” facilities to Indian Goods.

Thus Pakistan’s Interest, being paramount, come First.

Simple.

I know that rather everyone know about Indian project as well as Iranian interests viz a viz Chahbahar.


All i am saying that Indians if claim that they are doing everything in love for Afghanistan than they should not be looking for shorter and cheaper routes keep using Iran

 

[Spring Onion]

very true brother, that is what i am saying all the time, but some people dont agree with me.

Ahmad the issue is India is trying everything to harm Pakistan and still wish to have flowers and facilities from Pakistan which is not possible.

On the other hand Current set up in Afghanistan is playing double game on the one hand it wishes to get maximum benefits from us while on the other harming us by joining hands with our enemy.

 

[ramu]

European countries did not had rivalries or disputes the way we have on this side of the region, thus its not an easy task to do regional integration such as europe had done.

Wrong. Even today, the differences are too many.

 

[r3alist]

Ahmad the issue is India is trying everything to harm Pakistan and still wish to have flowers and facilities from Pakistan which is not possible.

On the other hand Current set up in Afghanistan is playing double game on the one hand it wishes to get maximum benefits from us while on the other harming us by joining hands with our enemy.

this afghan does not care about this

 

[ramu]

hello hutch,

glad someone speaks some simple common sense.

From this very logic, India will deny transit as a response ...
And the cooperation in south central asia will be non existent.

 

[ramu]

I know that rather everyone know about Indian project as well as Iranian interests viz a viz Chahbahar.


All i am saying that Indians if claim that they are doing everything in love for Afghanistan than they should not be looking for shorter and cheaper routes keep using Iran

No love, pure business. Just as Pakistan wants to do business with Nepal and Bangladesh.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Pakistan side firmly believes that until and unless Afghan side is ready to address the cross border smuggling issue, Pakistan would not be able to conclude the proposed APTTA, said the official.

Pakistan had proposed five measures for having an effective control over cross border smuggling including subjecting existing afghan imports with letter of credit, subjecting afghan imports with bank guarantee, compulsory licensing for afghan imports, placing quantitative restrictions on Afghan imports, maintaining increased sensitive list of items, and equalisation of customs tariff on items imported by afghan importers through transit facility via Pakistan to Afghanistan, official sources explained.

Afghan side has also not shown its willingness to accept the measures proposed by the Pakistani side for controlling the cross border smuggling due to the reasons. During the recently concluded negotiations on proposed APTTA, Afghan side was almost agreed to sign initial draft of the APTTA, however, in the next morning Afghan authorities refused to sign disclosed the official sources.

According to the Pakistan customs estimates, loss to the Pakistan’s economy due to the pilferage of Afghan transit trade goods in Pakistan and smuggling back to Pakistan goods imported under Afghan Transit Trade Agreement have been estimated at $5 billion annually. Similarly, smuggling of Pakistani goods to Afghanistan is causing Afghanistan a loss of around $1.5 billion. Pakistan has been striving to establish a fact before the Afghan side that cross border smuggling of goods is causing huge injury to both the economies and both the countries must agree to a mechanism for eliminating this menace once for all under the proposed APTTA.

Necessary steps must also be taken to prevent smuggling. APTTA is already a major source of smuggling into Pakistan. It causes huge revenue losses to the economy, hurting local businesses.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance was told a few months ago that the APTTA accounts for 75 percent of an estimated $5 billion worth of smuggled goods entering Pakistan annually. Many of the items imported under APTTA, are not even meant for the Afghan market. For example, Afghans prefer to drink green tea and not its black variety, yet large quantities of black tea are imported for eventual smuggling into Pakistan. An FBR official told the Standing Committee that following an increase in the valuation of stainless steel in the recent past, steel imports under the APTTA doubled during the July-December period in the current fiscal year, as compared with the previous year.

The imports also include a large variety of electronic equipment, cosmetics and other items that are turned back from the border to be sold in Pakistani markets, at the cost of the local businesses. Islamabad has been trying to deal with these problems by imposing a ban on the import of certain items, and through a common customs duty proposal (albeit without success by far). The Quetta and Chaman business people have given a timely warning of similar issues cropping up, if and when the Wagah-Khyber trade route opens up; the government must also remain prepared to address them in a timely fashion.

The majority of the article refers to cross-border smuggling as the issue, though the article does not make it clear whether one of the reasons for denying transit to India is smuggling. IIRC, previous articles have indicated that Pakistan has no issue with Afghanistan sending its goods to India through Pakistan, but that India needs to negotiate with Pakistan over the right to send its goods to Afghanistan. The only concern over Afghan goods to India is whether to allow Afghan trucks to actually take the goods across Pakistan, or have them shifted to Pakistani trucks at the Afghan-Pak border, and if Afghan trucks are allowed, then what numbers?

If you read the earlier pages in this thread, the five proposals to prevent smuggling have been outlined, and almost all seem pretty feasible - some of those proposals are based on India-Nepal/Bhutan transit trade policies. Unfortunately, the only proposal Afghanistan appears to want to consider is the current one where prevention of smuggled goods is left entirely up to border policing, which has obviously failed in preventing both smuggling and insurgent movement given the rugged and porous border.

 

[Ahmad]

this afghan does not care about this

why should i care about your interest if you dont care about us?

 

[Ahmad]

Ahmad the issue is India is trying everything to harm Pakistan and still wish to have flowers and facilities from Pakistan which is not possible.

On the other hand Current set up in Afghanistan is playing double game on the one hand it wishes to get maximum benefits from us while on the other harming us by joining hands with our enemy.

Dear sister, it is between pakistan and india, if india tries to harm pakisan, i am sure the same thing is done by pakistan against india. if Pak gov thinks it is to their benefit not to allow access to indian goods to afghanistan, then it is their soil and rights, they can do whatever suits them.

 

[Spring Onion]

this afghan does not care about this

He is speaking sensibly. He is as much right to speak for own interests as much as we do

 

[Spring Onion]

No love, pure business. Just as Pakistan wants to do business with Nepal and Bangladesh.

But we are not giving India any gollies for getting the route to BD or Nepal

BTW why India is reluctant to give the same viz a viz BD and Nepal lolzz when you are asking favour for the same for Afghanistan