Closure of Pak-Afghan trade halts $200m medicines export

ISLAMABAD: The suspension of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has brought the export of Pakistani medicines worth nearly $200 million to a complete halt, dealing a major blow to the country’s pharmaceutical industry and threatening critical drug supplies in Afghanistan, officials and industry representatives said on Wednesday.

Chairman Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) Tahir Azam said dozens of containers carrying medicines worth billions of rupees were stranded at Torkham and Chaman border crossings following the recent closure of trade routes with Afghanistan. He warned that prolonged delays could lead to the expiry and loss of temperature-sensitive medicines, causing massive financial losses to the pharmaceutical industry.

He said one Pakistani company alone has medicines worth Rs850 million stuck at both border points, while over 50 local pharmaceutical companies are facing similar issues. “These medicines are meant for hospitals and patients in Afghanistan, and many of them require controlled storage conditions. If not transported in time, they could become unusable,” he said.

Azam added that PPMA has written to Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal, and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), urging them to immediately allow the export of these consignments on humanitarian grounds to prevent a major setback to the industry and patients alike.

“Pakistan exports medicines worth around $200 million to Afghanistan, but because this trade is conducted in rupees, it does not appear in customs records. Due to strained relations between the two countries, our pharmaceutical exports to Afghanistan have now come to a complete standstill,” Tauqeer-ul-Haq, former chairman PPMA, told The News.

“Around 35 per cent of our pharmaceutical exports go to Afghanistan. This suspension is a huge setback. We worked for years to establish our brands and networks there, and now India is ready to take over our market,” he added.

Tauqeer warned that if the ban continues, Indian, Iranian, and Turkish pharmaceutical companies will swiftly fill the gap left by Pakistan. “Pakistani companies have invested heavily in Afghanistan by building business relationships and promoting our medicines…Our exit will only benefit India and others,” he said, stressing that medicines should not be subjected to politics.

“Pharmaceutical trade is not like other commodities. It saves lives. The supply of essential medicines through Torkham must continue for humanitarian reasons.”