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Both Afghanistan to pressure both the countries through frequent closure of borders and creating obstacles in transit trade for them, Pakistan would be affected badly both politically and economically.

The initial idea of creating an air freight corridor with India was presented by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year; later on in December, an agreement on initiating an air cargo service was reached between the two leaders.

After nearly one year, the first India-bound flight carried 60 tons of medicinal plants, worth $11 million, from Kabul to India on June 19, marking the launch of the much-awaited Afghanistan-India Air Corridor.

The second flight from Afghanistan under the new air corridor with India took off from Kandahar with 40 tons of fruits and vegetables on June 24. Subsequently, a flight from Delhi to Kabul transported 100 tons of goods, mainly pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

What prompted the air corridor scheme?

The step was taken after President Ghani’s demand from Pakistan for allowing Kabul to engage in trade with India through land route was turned down by Islamabad.

Unfortunately, , Pakistan being a close neighbor to Afghanistan has been playing hypocrisy games by creating hurdles for Afghan traders. Despite the Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), a bilateral trade agreement signed in 2010 between the two countries, which calls for greater facilitation in the movement of goods amongst the two countries; however, the country hasn’t been committed to the APTTA and on different pretexts impeded the Afghan exports and imports most often.

Although, based on the APTTA, Afghan trucks had the right to export limited amount of perishable goods over Pakistani territory via the Wagah crossing point to India, It did not offer Afghanistan the right to import Indian goods across Pakistani territory. Afghan traders would always complain about frequent stalling of shipments by Pakistani officials and unnecessary delays.

The imposed 2,430-kilometre-long Durand Line in the east and south of Afghanistan caused Afghanistan to remain a landlocked country. This de facto border which lacks legal status serves as a line of control between Afghanistan and Pakistan since British rule of Indian sub-continent, and it has thus far compelled our country to reluctantly use the Pakistani soil for exports to India and other countries.

In addition, border crossing points are often closed as Afghan and Pakistani forces clash over the disputed border occasionally, which also result in losses to Afghan farmers. During the fruits season the farmers complain of lack of market for Afghan fruit and other products which rot due to lack of shipment options. The frequent border closures on different pretexts by Pakistan and Afghan traders’ lack of access to Wagah port for exporting their goods to India or other countries mainly resulted in the move of launching the air corridor.

Besides the losses incurred on Afghan traders throughout the excessive border closures, more than 800 flour mills were also closed in Pakistan due to decline in exports to Afghanistan during the month-long closure of crossing points between the two countries last February. As the Pakistan-based newspaper of Dawn admits “the collapse in exports to Afghanistan is an unnecessary and self-inflicted wound. The news puts down that the Pakistani exports in the current financial year may be in the region of $1 billion, a drop of nearly a third, and down from a high of $2.4 billion in 2011, is unsurprising.” This was published by the daily last month.

This is what we have been saying that those who do this blockage will be harmed themselves. As the popular English proverb says, “whoever digs a pit will fall into it.” The clear example is Pakistan as it also suffered the most.

Considering all these difficulties in transit trade for Afghanistan, a country fully surrounded by land, initiating the air system for transporting freight was a good choice, thanks to the brotherly nation of India which helped materialize the proposal by President Ghani.

This is a lesson for the neighboring country to avoid being a barrier to Afghanistan’s trade because it itself bears the brunt of its actions too. Afghanistan, given its strategic and geopolitical location, proved that it can find alternative routes for its transit trade. So the country is advised to not mix politics with trade and terrorism (TT); otherwise, consequently it will soon be isolated in the region due to its own irrational designs.

Transit benefits & facilities for traders by the advent of the air corridor

The connectivity afforded by this corridor is a blessing for land-locked Afghanistan, as it will give the country’s farmers and traders greater access to Indian markets.

“The current volume of trade between Afghanistan and India both ways is $700 million annually. It was earlier around $300 million. The target is ultimately $10 billion in the years to come. A $1 billion target is what we are looking at in the immediate future,” Shailda Mohammad Abdali, Afghanistan’s ambassador to India has said.

There are also hopes the new corridor will boost annual volume of trade between the two countries from $700 million to $1 billion in three years and would give a lift to exports of Afghanistan’s agricultural products and its carpet industries.

The Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) has said the medicinal plants carried on the first flight were valued at $11 million. ACCI officials said the cost of transporting a kilogram of vegetables and fresh fruit from Kabul and Kandahar to Indian markets will be about 20 cents per kg, and the cost of a kilogram of goods from India to Afghanistan will be about 40 cents.

Fresh and dried fruits businessmen around the country, especially in southern Kandahar province are content with the air corridor as they say the trade through the air corridor with India is “inexpensive” and “easy.”

Both sides are hopeful that air cargo services will be extended to other cities of both the countries. And with the expansion of the air corridor–which provides a grand platform for Afghani products– our country’s problem in transit trade will be resolved to a great extent when dependency on land routes for trade will not be needed that much, especially the Pakistani territory.

 

View expressed in this article are of the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Pajhwok’s editorial policy.

 

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The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect Pajhwok's editorial policy.

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