Afghanistan has closed all trade routes with Pakistan, in a move that underscores the deepening rift between the two neighbours. The decision was announced by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban government’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, during a meeting with industrialists and traders in Kabul.
Baradar urged Afghan traders to “immediately look for alternative trade routes” and warned that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan would not provide any assistance to those who continue to import or export goods through Pakistan and face problems as a result.
His comments, reported by TOLOnews, come amid a period of heightened tensions between the two countries, following a series of deadly cross-border clashes and diplomatic breakdowns.
Baradar also criticised the poor quality of Pakistani medicines and announced a three-month deadline for Afghan importers to close their accounts and end business dealings with Pakistani suppliers. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is continuously working to establish new alternative routes for regional and global connectivity and to make existing routes more standard and efficient from technical and infrastructural perspectives,” he said.
According to a report in The Sunday Guardian, Baradar’s remarks signal a deliberate attempt by Kabul to reduce economic dependence on Pakistan and strengthen ties with regional partners. Afghan officials have described the country’s geography—linking South, Central, and West Asia—as a strategic advantage rather than a vulnerability.
New investments are reportedly being directed toward developing trade routes through Iran’s Chabahar and Bandar Abbas ports, as well as overland connections with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The shift reflects Kabul’s intent to integrate more closely with Central Asia and diversify its access to global markets.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply over the past month. The tensions flared after Pakistan launched cross-border airstrikes on October 9, targeting alleged Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps inside Afghan territory. Islamabad has long accused the Taliban of sheltering TTP militants responsible for attacks that have killed hundreds of Pakistani soldiers since 2021.
Efforts to resolve the crisis through dialogue have so far failed. Rahmatullah Najib, Afghanistan’s Deputy Interior Minister and head of the second round of talks with Islamabad, told The Sunday Guardian that negotiations broke down when Pakistan demanded a religious decree, or fatwa, from Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada against the TTP.
Najib called the demand “impossible and inappropriate.” “Pakistan wanted a fatwa, not a resolution,” he said. “They ask us to host those they themselves label as terrorists. That is not diplomacy — that is confusion.”
