KABUL (Dunya News) – Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has directed Afghan traders to stop relying on Pakistan for trade and to look for alternative routes.
According to Afghan media, Mullah Baradar urged all Afghan businessmen and industrialists to turn to other trade corridors instead of Pakistan, saying, “I strongly urge all traders to quickly implement alternative options for imports and exports.”
He warned that after this directive, any trader continuing business with Pakistan would not receive government support or assistance.
Baradar also criticised the quality of medicines imported from Pakistan, calling them substandard. He gave importers a three-month deadline to wrap up their trade accounts with Pakistan.
Claiming that Afghanistan has now gained access to alternative trade routes, Baradar said the country’s economic ties with regional nations have become stronger than ever.
He further stated that if Pakistan wants to reopen trade routes with Afghanistan, it must guarantee that the routes will not be closed again under any circumstances.