Tag: Pakistan Afghanistan Trade

  • Pakistan may send experts to replace Afghan brain drain

    Pakistan may send experts to replace Afghan brain drain

    Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Pakistan, Shaukat Tarin has said that Pakistan may have to send experts to Afghanistan because of the country’s major experts have left the country which has complicated the Taliban’s administration, reports The News.

    While giving an extensive briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance on Thursday, Mr Tarin said that the government was building up strategic reserves of essential food commodities to meet domestic as well as Afghanistan’s requirements.

    According to him, “they [Afghanistan} require assistance and we may have to dispatch experts because of the brain drain in Afghanistan. The situation is fluid and we are analysing it. The West has stopped foreign reserves of Afghanistan to the tune of $10 billion, as the IMF has stopped $400 million and many others so Kabul will be facing a scarcity of foreign exchange. Our bilateral trade will surge but we may have to undertake bilateral trade in the Pak rupee.”

    Talking about Pakistan’s economic situation he stated, “Pakistan’s trade deficit stands at $4 billion and remittances are hovering around $2.5 billion.”

    “On tax revenue, FBR revenues are ahead of target by 23 percent. The track and trace system will be placed for five major sectors. The Point of Sale (POS) will integrate receipts and standardised and frivolous notices will be withdrawn,” he assured.

    More than 120,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan are qualified professionals from civil servants to lawyers.

    Michael Barry, a specialist on Afghanistan who taught at the American University in Kabul, said that many members of the Taliban are from rural areas and lack the knowledge to run the state bureaucracy, as per Agence France-Presse (AFP).

  • Pakistanis lash out at their govt for celebrating the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

    Pakistani Twitter has lashed out at ministers of the ruling party for celebrating the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Two notable Ministers, including Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul and Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari, tweeted on the situation in Afghanistan.

    WAIT A MINUTE…WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AFGHANISTAN?

    In a rapid turn of events, President Ghani of Afghanistan has reportedly fled the country as the Taliban enter Kabul, amidst severe criticism from his opponents, saying that now is not the time for him to leave his country as the dreaded Taliban come back to rule once more.

    The Taliban took the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, late on Saturday, and on Sunday morning, they seized the city of Jalalabad. They are now in control of the Torkham border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Within a week they have taken down Afghan government flags and hoisted their own white banners.

    Despite two decades of war with American-led forces, and reportedly more than 83 billion dollars spent by the US, the Taliban have survived and are now effectively in control of Pakistan’s neighbouring country. They have managed to do this in 10 days time with little resistance from the Afghan forces.

    WHAT DID PAKISTANI POLITICIANS DO ON TWITTER?

    Zartaj Gul in a tweet said, “India gets an appropriate gift on its Independence Day- its fascist terror-oriented Government should celebrate now today with tears and sorrow.”

    “The Kabul regime it used to wreak terrorism in Pakistan across many years has fallen and people are rejoicing all across Afghanistan,” said Zataj Gul in a tweet, which was later deleted.

    People on social media are calling out the ministers for their tweets.

    https://twitter.com/laaleen/status/1426877258770391040
    https://twitter.com/apniISPdot/status/1426869676500529154

    Shireen Mazari posted an image of the US leaving from Vietnam after the war ended in 1975 with an image of a US carrier leaving Afghanistan. Many on Twitter thought it was a ‘celebration’ of the US leaving an occupied territory, although she tried to clear her stance that it is not what she meant.

    WHERE IS HAMID KARZAI?

    According to a video message circulating on social media, the former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai has said that he will stay in Kabul with his family.

    TALIBAN STANCE

    Three diplomatic sources said Ali Ahmad Jalali, a US-based academic and former Afghan interior minister, could be named head of an interim administration in Kabul, though it was unclear whether the Taliban had agreed, Reuters has reported.

    A Taliban spokesman has told the BBC that the group “will respect rights of women” as it takes control of Afghanistan.

    A spokesperson for the Taliban, Suhail Shaheen, told BBC News: “We will respect rights of women…our policy is that women will have access to education and work, to wear the hijab.”

    PAKISTAN’S STANCE:

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says Pakistan will keep on playing a positive role in the establishment of peace in Afghanistan.  Addressing the media in Multan, he said the whole world has acknowledged Pakistan’s stance regarding the Afghanistan issue. He further said that Afghan people want peace in their country and they are to decide their future for themselves. The minister added that Pakistan has no favourites in Afghanistan and whoever forms the government there, Pakistan will accept it.

    Meanwhile, an Afghan political delegation led by Wolesi Jirga Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani arrived in Pakistan on Sunday evening.

  • Afghanistan calls back ambassador, others after abduction of ambassador’s daughter

    Afghanistan on Sunday called back its ambassador and all senior diplomats from Islamabad following the abduction of Ambassador Alikhel’s daughter.

    “Following the abduction of the Afghan Ambassador’s daughter in Pakistan, the Leadership of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan called back Afghanistan’s Ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan until all security threats are addressed including the arrest and trial of the perpetrators of abduction,” the statement said.

    “An Afghan delegation will visit Pakistan soon to assess and follow up on the case and all related issues; subsequent actions will follow based on the findings.”

    Pakistan’s Foreign Office reacted to Afghanistan’s decision: “The decision by the Government of Afghanistan to recall its Ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan is unfortunate and regrettable,” said the FO.

    “The reported abduction and assault of Afghan Ambassador’s daughter are being investigated and followed-up at the highest level on the instructions of PM,” the statement added further.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has claimed that the Afghan ambassador’s daughter was not abducted and that it is an Indian conspiracy. He was speaking on Geo News’ programme ‘Naya Pakistan’.

    Earlier on Sunday, while addressing a press conference, Sheikh Rasheed said that the case will be resolved soon adding, “Afghanistan’s ambassador’s daughter took a cab to Khadda Market for shopping.”

    “We also have footage of her getting out of a taxi at a Rawalpindi shopping mall,” he added. The interior minister further said that a first information report has been registered.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says he has scheduled a phone call with the Afghan foreign minister tomorrow and hopes the Afghan government will review its stance.

    On July 17, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released a statement stating: “On July 16, the daughter of the Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad, Ms Silsila Alikhil, was ‘abducted’ for several hours and ‘severely tortured’ by unknown individuals on her way home.”

    Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered an inquiry into the incident.

  • Chaman border is now closed after reports of the Taliban capturing the crossing on the Afghan side

    Chaman border is now closed after reports of the Taliban capturing the crossing on the Afghan side

    The Afghan Taliban have claimed that they have captured the important Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, reports Geo News.

    “The (Taliban) Mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh in Kandahar,” a statement was given by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

    “With this, the important road between (Spin) Boldak, Chaman, and Kandahar customs have come under Mujahideen control.”

    “The Taliban have taken control of the Afghan side of the Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing,” a Pakistani security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    “They have raised their flag and removed the Afghan flag.”

    “The Pak-Afghan border at Chaman is on high alert,” said Levies officials. “Additional security has been deployed at the gate.” Pakistan has also suspended activities at the Chaman crossing point.

    “We are in contact with the local leadership of the Taliban on resuming trade and movement of people,” said Levies officials.

    Earlier this week, after seizing about one-third of Afghanistan’s districts, the Taliban swept through the northeastern Badakhshan province, reaching the mountainous border with China’s Xinjiang region.

  • Pakistan exports to neighbouring countries drop by alarming level

    Pakistan exports to neighbouring countries drop by alarming level

    Due to the COVID-19 crises, Pakistan exports in the region have dropped by 5.7 per cent in the nine months of the current fiscal year, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) revealed on Monday.

    Pakistan exported goods and services as little as $2.788 billion to neighbouring countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India and Iran.

    Data revealed by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)

    The figure is just 14.91 per cent of the total global export of Pakistan, which stood at $18.688 billion in the current fiscal year.

    Pakistan largely exported to China; they are at the top of the list, leaving India and Bangladesh behind.

    In terms of percentage, Pakistan exports to China are 50.46 per cent, and the remaining share is for eight other countries.

    Exports to China also experienced a growth of 8.4 per cent, which is $1.407 billion in FY2021 from 1.298 billion in FY2020.

    Unfortunately, the trade ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan have declined and faced political and policy turmoils. The exports to Afghanistan have fallen by 5.57 per cent that is just $746.328 million in FY2021. In FY2020, the exports between Afghanistan and Pakistan stood at $790,377 million.

    Afghanistan has also been removed as the second biggest trade partner of Pakistan, and Afghanistan replaced India as the most important trade partner.

    Trade ties between Pakistan and India are also topsy turvy. The government has suspended trade with India. Earlier, the Economic Corridor Committee (ECC) approved the import of cotton and yarn from India, but then the decision was reversed for political reasons.

    The exports to Iran jumped 374 per cent to $0.261m in 9MFY21 from $0.055m in 9MFY20. Most of the trade with Tehran is carried out through informal channels in border areas of Balochistan.

    Exports to Bangladesh decreas­­ed by 13.56 per cent that is $438.418m in FY2021. Islam­abad has recently reached out to Dhaka to revive talks to facilitate trade between the two countries.

    Similarly, exports to Sri Lanka dipped by 24.2 per cent to $185.883m from $245.131m in the previous year.

    During Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Sri Lanka, both countries agreed to exploit the available potential of bilateral trade.

    Exports to Nepal dropped by 82.6 per cent to $3.502m from the previous year while those to the Maldives dipped by 28.96 per cent to $4.044m from $5.693m.

    Exports to Bhutan were recorded at $0.043m as compared to $0.094m over the last year. In March, no exports proceeds were sent to the Maldives.

    On the other hand, the country’s trade deficit with the region narrowed as imports from these countries also dipped.