Pak prevents Indian trucks from moving to Afghanistan through its territory

Islamabad, Dec. 20 (ANI) : While Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached an accord to allow trucks to move freely in other's territory, Pakistani officials have denied allowing Indian goods movement through its territory into Afghanistan.

According to the deal inked between Islamabad and Kabul, Afghan trucks would now be able to operate up to the Karachi port, while Pakistani trucks could move across Afghanistan towards Central Asia.

However, Islamabad refused to grant permission to India to carry on its trade activities to Afghanistan through the country, as officials said that the issue could only be discussed at the bilateral talks with New Delhi.

Pakistan's effort to link trade with the resumption of composite dialogue with India is not new.

In an apparent bid to counter India's stance on resuming bilateral talks, Pakistan Commerce Ministry had earlier linked the issue of providing the land route for trade between India and Afghanistan with the resumption of the bilateral dialogue.

In a briefing to the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Commerce, Commerce Secretary Salman Ghani had said the issue of providing land route to India for its trade with Afghanistan was outside the ministry's jurisdiction.

"It is out of question for us," Ghani had said days ago.

"The original Afghan Transit Trade Agreement allowed India to export its goods to Afghanistan through Pakistan, an additional clause was inserted after the 1965 Pakistan-India war in the agreement, barring the use of Pakistani territory for Indian exports to Afghanistan," Ghani had said. (ANI)