The first consignment arrives at Gwadar port from United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday, Confirms Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan.
Additionally, Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, on Twitter claimed that “The first transit consignment of bulk cargo through Gwadar to Afghanistan started today, with more to come\”.
“We have crossed another milestone towards establishing our credentials as a transit city,” he remarked. The goods for Afghanistan went through custom clearance and went to the country afterward.
Gwadar port significance
Gwadar port is a 600-kilometer long coastline, currently operating under the supervision of China. China plans to seek direct access to the Indian ocean via Gwadar deep seaport. A $64billion mega project titled China -Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is underway to realize this plan.
Via the Pakistan-China economic corridor, China gets cost-friendly access to Africa and Middle-East. Pakistan in return gets to enjoy billions of dollars on providing transit facilities to the world’s second-largest economy.
Exports from Afghanistan to India
On July 13 Pakistan, under the Pakistan-Afghanistan transit trade agreement (APTTA), reopened the border for carrying exports from Afghanistan to India.
The bilateral trade agreement signed in 2010 allows access to goods from Afghanistan to the eastern Wagah border. However, according to APTTA, Indian goods are not permitted to be carried across Pakistan into Afghanistan.
Recently Pakistan has reopened three important trade routes with Afghanistan namely, the southwestern Chaman, northwestern Torkham, and Ghulam Khan border crossings.
Moreover, this marks a fresh start towards building Pakistan-Afghanistan economic integration. However, both countries still have some sensitive matters to resolve. Which are pertinent to security and mutually beneficial economic integration.
