Wagah open for Afghan traders: Pak after Ghani's warning

After Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani alleged that Pakistan's Wagah port has been closed for his country's traders, Islamabad said that it has not stopped them from moving their products to India through the border.

"Pakistan is fulfilling its commitment to the Afghan people by providing them a trade transit facility," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said yesterday.

He clarified that under Islamabad's bilateral agreement with Kabul, only Indian goods could not be imported into Afghanistan through Pakistan, reports the Express Tribune.

Pakistan's Trade Ministry spokesperson Muhammad Ashraf also denied the charge, saying: "Under the Pak-Afghan transit trade agreement, Afghan products go to India through Wagah. There has been no change in this policy in Pakistan."

During a meeting with the United Kingdom's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Owen Jenkins in Kabul on Friday, President Ghani warned to close transit route for Pakistan to Central Asian countries as the Wagah port has been closed for the Afghan traders for import and export.

He said Afghanistan is no more a landlocked country as several other options and transit routes are available for the import and export of commodities of the Afghan traders.

Ghani alleged that Pakistan usually closes transit routes during the fruits season which incurs loss of millions of dollars to the Afghan traders.