Pakistan to allow import of food, medicines to Afghanistan

KABUL: Mohammad Atif Mashal, the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, in an interview with TOLOnews said on Monday that Pakistan’s government had agreed to allow Afghan traders to import only food and medicines across the countries’ border areas.

According to Mashal, the action will go into effect possibly in the next week. “We agreed on a mechanism to allow Afghan traders to import at least two items of food and medicine,” said Mashal. “Talks are ongoing to open the borders,” said Shamroz Khan Masjidi, spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.

Meanwhile, a letter reveals that Pakistan extended its closed borders with Afghanistan and Iran for two weeks. The joint Afghanistan-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce also confirmed that the Pakistani side had extended its border closure for another two weeks. “Pakistani borders will be blocked with Afghanistan and Iran till April 9,” said Naqibullah Safi, head of the joint Afghanistan-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce and Investment of Afghanistan said that more than 8,000 containers were stopped on Pakistan soil. “Pakistan stopped containers. Our traders lost hundreds of thousands of dollars each day,” said Amin Babak, spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce and Investment of Afghanistan.

This comes as Pakistan blocked its border crossings with Iran and Afghanistan in March 16 and it is now extended until April 9.