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The writer is a Doctor of Philosophy in Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication from Charles University Prague. She can be reached at shaziaanwer@yahoo.com
The Afghan Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has directed Afghan traders and industrialists to explore alternative trade routes instead of relying on Pakistan. This is a wise decision because he knows that Pakistan will not allow Pak-Afghan trade when incidents such as the Wana Cadet College and Islamabad Lower Courts attacks continue.
I personally wish to thank him for this announcement because the Pak-Afghan transit trade route has been instrumental in all kinds of smuggling in Pakistan for ages, discouraging Pakistani industrialists from investing in several fields as cheaper imported items are always available in the local market through Pak-Afghan transit trade smuggling rackets.
For now, Pakistan has realised that trade diplomacy, while important in shaping economic landscapes, has never favoured Pakistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan’s bilateral trade agreements are one of the main sources of bleeding Pakistan economically and politically, as this passage has been used for injecting terrorists into Pakistan. God knows how long this realisation will last, as the smuggling economy is vast and alluring for many who have the power to influence decision-makers in Islamabad.
The major chunk of Afghan exports to Pakistan consists of vegetables, fresh fruits and dry fruits — all abundant in its neighbouring countries except Pakistan. Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan all produce much better vegetables and fruits, and Afghanistan’s handmade rugs also struggle to compete with Iranian, Uzbek and Tajik rugs.
None of these countries allow Afghans to work as labourers without a valid work visa. Securing a work visa in Central Asia is nearly as difficult as in Europe, with employers required to prove that no local worker has the needed skills. Yes, Iran has softer rules for its employment visa regime, so unskilled or even skilled Afghan labourers can work there, but not as freely as in Pakistan, where any Afghan can buy a wheelbarrow and start earning at any corner of the country. Moreover, none of these countries have a transit trade contract like Pakistan does with Afghanistan.
According to 2024 data, Iran-Afghan trade volume was $3.2 billion, with Afghanistan exporting goods worth just $54 million to Iran. Afghan exports to Uzbekistan were $10.4 million, while Uzbekistan’s exports to Afghanistan reached $766 million in 2023. Almost the same huge trade imbalance exists with Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. The overall trade deficit is larger than officially documented, as Afghan annual exports were $474.93 million compared to imports of $3,591.27 million in 2024.
Pakistan is the only country that provides documentation-free open space for Afghans to earn thousands of dollars monthly to take back home as cash. It must be noted that Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan do not allow taking cash out of their countries beyond a few hundred dollars.
The reason to cite numerical data is to understand that Afghanistan earns mostly from Pakistan and that too without proper regulation, and this has been the case for almost 45 years, since the Afghan Jihad era. If Pakistan ever enforces proper laws on international money transfer and on working without permits and visas, it will be a huge economic jolt to Afghanistan — and not just regarding the Pak-Afghan smuggling volume which, according to unconfirmed reports, is higher than Rs3,000 billion annually. Since Afghanistan knows that its networking within Pakistani politicians, bureaucracy, media and decision-makers is too strong, Pak-Afghan trade would neither halt for a long period nor be properly documented. Therefore, the Afghan regime has never been shy about bleeding Pakistan via terrorists or abusing Pakistan bluntly.
I strongly believe that Afghanistan will not behave like a state unless its illegal sources of income, such as working without proper visas or permits, smuggling and permission to take cash out of Pakistan, are curtailed. Afghanistan has always taken Pakistan for granted because of its strong internal networking within Pakistan, which complains whenever Pakistan, as a sovereign state, tries to control borders or regulate illegal activities.
