At a time when the EU & India Free Trade Agreement is reshaping global trade flows, Pakistan is facing mounting economic pressure. Preferential access given to Indian exports risks eroding Pakistan’s competitiveness in European markets, especially textiles and different valueadded goods knowing that most of the industries across different provinces are already collapsing.
At the same time, the. Unilateral closure of trade routes with Afghanistan and forcing Afghan govt to take extreme step is now stretching into its fourth month, it has has caused heavy losses to Pakistan’s industry, disrupted supply chains, and effectively severed the natural economic linkage between South Asia and Central Asia.
We've seen daily strikes on media, provincial and national assemblies and and now extending it to the road closure and further steps.
Pakistan’s regional trade strategy cannot succeed without stable transit through Afghanistan.
In this context, the yesterday's statement by Kazakhstan’s ambassador in his talk show with
@AzazSyed Azaz Sayed about connecting Kazakhstan to Karachi via Afghanistan is what we see quite strategic.
The idea is to link Central Asian rail and road networks from Kazakhstan through Uzbekistan to Afghanistan, then onward to Pakistan’s ports, particularly Karachi. For landlocked Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states, access to warm water ports via Afghanistan and Pakistan offers the shortest and most cost effective route to global markets, compared to longer alternatives through Russia, the Caucasus, or Iran considering that Iran is suffering massive sanctions and growing threat of US attacks.
Technically, this vision is not new or unrealistic, as some parts of the rail infrastructure already exist up to Hairatan and Mazar-e-Sharif, and regional agreements on trans-Afghan connectivity have been signed in recent years, as a gesture of Afghanistan's trade friendly and peaceful foreign policy ( as Afghanistan became the top six trader with Uzbekistan according to the Uzbek govt statistics)
Afg role in this equation is central, not optional( this is what we are trying to convince our 🇵🇰 brother that a peaceful Afg is in the best interests of u).
Geographically, Afg is the natural land bridge b/w Central Asia& South Asia & there is no alternative route that offers the same shortest access. Historically &strategically, every major regional connectivity vision, whether the Trans-Afghan Railway, the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, or Asian highways networks places Afg at its core. When Afg is unstable or excluded, regional trade fragments when it is engaged as a transit hub, connectivity expands for everyone.
For the region to accept Afghanistan’s strategic importance, it must move beyond viewing the country solely through a security or political lens( as Afghan govt have rightly skipped recently organized &politically motivated Tehran meetings on Afg, showing Afgh as security threat instead a partner in peace and connectivity) .
Afghanistan’s economic geography gives it leverage as a connector of markets, energy routes,&supply chains. Integrating Afghanistan into regional trade creates shared economic interests, which can, over time, contribute to greater stability and trust. For 🇵🇰 in particular, reopening & institutionalizing trade with Afghanistan is not just a bilateral necessity but a gateway to Central Asia. Without Afghanistan, 🇵🇰 remains economically confined to the south where trade with 🇮🇳 is banned, With Iran it's under sanctioned and with Europe, it is under fire, with Afghanistan, it becomes a true crossroads between Central Asia, South Asia, and the global maritime economy.
In my opinion, it is a test case for regional realism & accepting Afghanistan’s strategic significance is not an act of political endorsement, but an acknowledgment of geography and economics. The region stands to gain far more from connectivity through Afg than from isolation around it.
@MJalalAf
#Afghanistan
#Pakistan
#Kazakhstan