Rising Tensions: Taliban Seek to Halt Imports from Pakistan

Amid escalating trade tensions between the Taliban and Islamabad, Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, announced that Afghanistan will not engage in any deals with Pakistan unless it receives firm guarantees that trade routes will remain open.

He stressed that commerce is possible only if such assurances are provided; otherwise, there is no obligation to continue exchanges.

In line with this stance, the Taliban have moved to reduce Afghanistan’s trade dependence on Pakistan. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, urged Afghan traders to avoid doing business with Pakistan and to use alternative transit routes for their goods. He also stated that the import of medicines should be sourced entirely from other countries, and that traders should close their accounts in Pakistan.

The decision comes after repeated border closures by Pakistan and the failure of three rounds of negotiations held in Qatar and Turkey.