ISLAMABAD: Acting upon the request of the Afghan government, Pakistan’s border authorities has allowed 29 Afghan trucks loaded with dry fruits and other edible to enter India through Wagha border.
Sources said that the trade was started on May 16 when five trucks entered, on May 19, at least 10 trucks loaded with dry fruits, while on May 20, around 14 trucks entered India through Wagha border. Sources say that this development has taken place in the context of a request sent by the Afghan government to Pakistan, which came to light after the border was closed due to Pak-India tensions last month. Afghan authorities had appealed to Pakistan to allow 150 trucks to enter India via Wagah. Pakistan gave conditional permission on May 1, however, the implementation was hampered due to a delay in issuing entry permits to Pakistani drivers by Indian authorities. Now, after the situation improved, Afghan trucks are being sent to India gradually.
According to the concerned authorities, more trucks will also be sent to India via Wagah in the coming days. It is worth noting that bilateral trade between Pakistan and India has been completely suspended since February 2019, when India imposed heavy tariffs on Pakistani products following the Pulwama attack. Later, in August 2019, Pakistan also restricted trade relations in response to India’s abrogation of the special status of occupied Kashmir.
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