Kabul to drag Islamabad to UN on traders’ woes: Alokozai

KABUL): The Afghan government has agreed to officially complain to the United Nations and the US over problems hindering Afghan traders’ efforts at bringing home commercial goods from the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, a trader leader said on Saturday.

“About 4,000 containers loaded with trade goods of Afghan businessmen have been stopped at Karachi port over the last two months in order to force them into buying Pakistani products,” Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries deputy chairman Khan Jan Alokozai told a news conference in Kabul.

Alokozai said ACCI members had a meeting with Commerce and Industries Minister Anwarul Haq Ahadi and officials of finance and foreign ministries over the obstacles created by the Pakistani government for Afghan traders.

 “Afghanistan will retaliate with urgent steps to severe trade relations with Pakistan if the problems are not resolved in next two days,” the trader leader said of decisions they took at the meeting.

He said the issue would be first taken up between foreign and commerce ministers of the two countries within the deadline and the Afghan government would lodge written complaints with the UN and the US if the problems were not resolved.

Afghanistan resorted to tit for tat behaviour on Monday, blocking 800 containers belonging to Pakistani traders at the Torkham dry port, the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Alokozai said. The goods were destined for central Asian countries, he said.

myn/ma

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