Afghanistan suspends transit trade meeting with Pakistan

Afghanistan has suspended the transit trade meeting with Pakistan, aimed at dealing with problems hindering the smooth implementation of a revised transit treaty.

The suspension of the meeting of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority (APTTCA), a high-level forum set up to deal with the trade issues is likely to translate into a decline in trade between the two countries.

The Afghan Commerce Ministry had conveyed to Islamabad its decision to postpone the meeting through the Pakistan High Commission in Kabul.

"We have received a formal letter in this regard," the Dawn quoted a source, as saying.

After a smooth ride for the last few years, Pakistan's exports to Afghanistan dropped by a significant 27 per cent over the past one year, owing to several factors.

The relations between the two countries have recently become sore after United States President Donald Trump rolled out the new Afghan strategy, saying that Islamabad was providing "safe havens" for terrorists.

Last month, in a veiled attack at Pakistan, Chief Executive of Afghanistan Dr. Abdullah Adbullah, during his visit to India, said that Afghanistan has never differentiated between good and bad terrorists and that his country is facing tremendous challenges, including terrorism, but "those who are supporting terrorism should not take pride in that."

"Some countries think Daesh or the ISIS is the main threat and terrorism is terrorism but as far as Afghanistan is concerned we have not made differences between terrorist groups and termed them as good and bad,for us terror is terror ," Dr. Abdullah said, referring indirectly to Pakistan, which has been on record in differentiating between good and bad Taliban.