هفده روز بسته‌گی گذرگاه‌ها؛ ضرر هم‌زمان به بازارهای افغانستان و پاکستان

With the Afghanistan-Pakistan trade routes remaining closed for 17 days, markets in both countries, especially Pakistan are experiencing severe fluctuations and unprecedented price hikes.

Images circulating on social media show a sharp rise in the price of Afghan-exported tomatoes in Pakistani markets.

One Pakistani parliamentarian even criticized the situation during a parliamentary session.

He said: “We’ve brought all this here today to show the speaker and ask him: Is this your good governance? You’ve made life difficult for poor people; they’re already burdened by high gas and electricity bills, and now, due to your actions, they can’t even afford to sell anything.”

Meanwhile, the price of goods imported from Pakistan, especially bananas, has increased in Afghan markets, while the price of Afghan exports, including tomatoes, grapes, pomegranates, and onions, has drastically dropped.

Shah Mohammad, a shopkeeper in Kabul said: “We used to sell seven kilos of tomatoes for 280 Afghanis, and they sold well in Pakistan too, but now that the roads are closed, the prices have dropped.”

Zekrullah, another shopkeeper said: “It’s been 17 days since the roads closed. Earlier, a dozen bananas cost 30 Afghanis, now they’re 150 Afghanis.”

On the other hand, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce warns that continued closure of trade routes and rising prices could discourage both countries’ business communities from pursuing economic cooperation.

Fazl Maqeem Khan, Head of Peshawar Chamber of Commerce and Investment told TOLOnews: “I urge both countries to reopen these routes for the sake of the people, because the closures are directly hurting the common citizens.”

Afghanistan’s private sector warns that if the situation continues, much of the country’s export produce will perish, and Pakistani markets will face a serious shortage of fruits and vegetables.