Afghanistan offered use of Gwadar, Port Qasim

[Neo]

Afghanistan offered use of Gwadar, Port Qasim ​

In return Pakistan seeks access to CARs under new transit trade accord​

Sunday, May 17, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has offered Afghanistan to use Gwadar and Bin Qasim ports for trading activities under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) while in return it wants access to Central Asian Republics (CARs), official sources confided to The News on Saturday.

The current Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) signed in 1965 allows Afghan cargo movement only through Karachi Port. After that, the cargo is transported to the landlocked country either through Landi Kotal in NWFP or Chaman, Balochistan.

The current ATTA does not contain any provision for transit trade to Central Asian Republics (CARs) through Afghanistan, which is an impediment to Pakistan’s efforts to become a gateway to Central Asia.

Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the US during the recent visit of President Asif Ali Zardari for improving trade and accession facilities between the two sides.

Under the MoU, both sides agreed to conclude and sign a complete Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) as early as possible and no later than December 31, 2009. Afghanistan has submitted a draft of the new agreement with the government of Pakistan.

In view of the MoU, a joint working group met in Islamabad the other day to discuss the advantages of greater regional and global trade linkages and export-oriented business development, an official who attended the meeting told this scribe.

They also discussed trade liberation and facilitation and public outreach on trade-related issues with a goal to improve processes and reduce impediments affecting the trade and investment environment in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the same official said.

The meeting also agreed that the next meeting of the group will be held in Afghanistan in June and date will be communicated with understanding.

They also agreed to coordinate and resolve all the issues relating to cross-border commerce and inland freight transit trade.

Under the expired Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), Islamabad has kept six items in the negative list that include i) cigarettes, and cigarettes of tobacco or of tobacco substitute, ii) cooking oil, iii) automobile parts, iv) television, v) telephone and vi) and tyres and tubes.

 

[khanz]

thats as good move we can make some money from it and help counter rival chahabar port in iran gwadar is much closer anyway.

 

[BaburCM]

This is excellent news. I'm all for good trade relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

 

[ajpirzada]

this is an excellent offer. gwadar will be best for afghanistan. it is really close to afghanistan and therefore will take far less time for goods to reach there. also will increase economic activity in balochistan. in return they will allow us to access central asian market. saveral central asian countries have already called on GoP regardin gwadar.
wont afghanistan demand from us that india be allowed to trade with afghanistan??

 

[A1Kaid]

Good news I am glad to read this.

It is hard to believe we can have a strong Pakistan when there is an unstable Afghanistan. It is good that Pakistan is allowing our fellow neighbors and friends & long historical brothers this great opportunity to empower and enrich themselves in a mutual way.

Not only will Gwadar transform Pakistan but it shall transform Afghanistan and CARs.

 

[Neo]

Afghanistan offered use of Gwadar, Port Qasim ​

In return Pakistan seeks access to CARs under new transit trade accord​

Excellent and a very smart move to link transit trade accord to CAR indeed. It may be noted that despite Pakistan's decision not to include India in the agreement, Afghanistan is granting access to Central Asian Economies.

This is a blow for Chahbahar and a strategic gain for Gwadar.
Whats needed now is a new highway linking Gwadar to Dalbandin or Nok Kundi near Pak-Afghan border and further into western Afghanistan to the city of Herat which will further link it to Ashkabat (Turkmenistan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Alamty (Kazachstan). This is also a considerably safe route due minimum Taliban control.

 

[Neo]

 

[Luftwaffe]

A question afghanis have money to give us? or just do trade and say will pay you later..

 

[Always Neutral]

Excellent and a very smart move to link transit trade accord to CAR indeed. It may be noted that despite Pakistan's decision not to include India in the agreement, Afghanistan is granting access to Central Asian Economies.

This is a blow for Chahbahar and a strategic gain for Gwadar.
Whats needed now is a new highway linking Gwadar to Dalbandin or Nok Kundi near Pak-Afghan border and further into western Afghanistan to city of Herat which will further link it to Ashkabat (Turkmenistan), Tashket (Uzbekistan) and Alamty (Kazachstan). This is also a considerably safe route due minimum Taliban control.

Dear Neo,

A very big strategic blunder for Pakistan. You are just ending up giving India a corridor to CAR. Any shipping person will tell you that any smart man just has to buy same second hand ships, register them in Cyprus, Panama or Limassol and pick up Indian goods and ship the to Afghanistan thru Gwadar.

Alternatively the last port of call of the International ship can be any Indian Port and the goods can be picked from there and shipped. Transit shipping is the most convinient method of smuggling prohibited goods if the ultimate consignee is not a Pakistani. AQ Khan can tell you more about how he used this method in Dubai.

You guys are being suckered in by Zardari. What he could not do directly will now be done indirectly.

Regards

 

[UnitedPak]

Dear Neo,

A very big strategic blunder for Pakistan. You are just ending up giving India a corridor to CAR. Any shipping person will tell you that any smart man just has to buy same second hand ships, register them in Cyprus, Panama or Limassol and pick up Indian goods and ship the to Afghanistan thru Gwadar.

Alternatively the last port of call of the International ship can be any Indian Port and the goods can be picked from there and shipped. Transit shipping is the most convinient method of smuggling prohibited goods if the ultimate consignee is not a Pakistani. AQ Khan can tell you more about how he used this method in Dubai.

You guys are being suckered in by Zardari. What he could not do directly will now be done indirectly.

Regards

Are you proposing not building the port + infrastructure because India might make use of it?
The whole point is that they will use it. CARs economies will rely entirely on Pakistan and revenue will be generated as the entire world will be using Gwadar and the infrastructure. Anyone can use the corridor. Pakistani markets will have an advantage anyway. Everyone else, including India will be competing with each other.

A mistake would be to grant India a corridor to CARs through Azad Kashmir (giving them a shorter route than the rest of the world), which wont happen unless they agree to massive fees.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Dear Neo,

A very big strategic blunder for Pakistan. You are just ending up giving India a corridor to CAR. Any shipping person will tell you that any smart man just has to buy same second hand ships, register them in Cyprus, Panama or Limassol and pick up Indian goods and ship the to Afghanistan thru Gwadar.

Alternatively the last port of call of the International ship can be any Indian Port and the goods can be picked from there and shipped. Transit shipping is the most convinient method of smuggling prohibited goods if the ultimate consignee is not a Pakistani. AQ Khan can tell you more about how he used this method in Dubai.

You guys are being suckered in by Zardari. What he could not do directly will now be done indirectly.

Regards

India can always get access to Afghanistan and the CAR's through Iran's Chabahar and that brand new highway they built anyway, though at a slightly greater cost.