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'Haven't said no': Taliban dismiss reports of not wanting trade relations with certain countries
India has been one of the largest trade partners of Afghanistan in recent times and has invested heavily in infrastructure and reconstruction projects in the war-torn country.
The Taliban on Thursday rejected the reports of them not wanting trade relations with any nation, claiming the “rumours” about their trade preferences are not true. Taking to Twitter, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the group wants “better diplomatic and trade relations” with all countries.
“The Islamic Emirate wants better diplomatic and trade relations with all countries. We have not said no about not trading with any country. The rumours that have been spread about this are not true and we reject it,” tweeted Mujahid, who made his first public appearance this week after Kabul fell to the Ismalist fundamentalists.
The Taliban’s statement comes a day after news agency ANI reported the rebels have stopped all imports and exports from India through transit routes of Pakistan. The director-general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), Ajay Sahai, told ANI that the Taliban has stopped the movement of cargo to Pakistan, which has virtually halted the imports to India.
"We keep a close watch on developments in Afghanistan. Imports from there come through transit route of Pakistan. As of now, Taliban has stopped movement of cargo to Pakistan, so virtually imports have been stopped," ANI quoted Sahai as saying.
India has been one of the largest trade partners of Afghanistan in recent times and has invested heavily in infrastructure and reconstruction projects in the war-torn country. But the Taliban takeover has raised apprehensions about the future of trade relations and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan.
“We imported goods worth around $510 million. But besides the trade, we have a sizeable investment in Afghanistan. We have invested around $3 billion in Afghanistan and there are 400-odd projects in Afghanistan some of which are currently going on," said Sahai.
While exports range from sugar, pharmaceuticals, apparel, tea, coffee, spices and transmission towers, imports are largely limited to dry fruits. Sahai expressed concern that prices of dry fruits may go up in the coming days.
