Baradar accused Pakistan of waging an “economic war” by restricting movement of goods and criticised the poor quality of medicines imported from across the border. He urged Afghan businesses to shift towards Central Asian markets, a call echoed by Trade Minister Nooruddin Azizi, who said Pakistan’s recurring blockades especially during peak fruit export seasonshad “no logical basis” and harmed both economies.
Five major crossings, including Torkham and Spin Boldak, have been closed for more than a month, disrupting the flow of food products, construction materials, and industrial supplies routinely traded between the two countries. Baradar said Afghanistan had repeatedly been targeted for political reasons and demanded a formal guarantee from Pakistan that borders would not be shut again without cause.
The closure has forced Kabul to fast-track alternative trade corridors. The Taliban government is developing three routes linking Afghanistan to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan, offering access to Russia, Kazakhstan, Europe, Turkey, and China. Although these routes are shorter in distance, transport costs are 30–40% higher and transit times longer due to infrastructure constraints. Kabul aims to shift half of its exports to the Uzbekistan route by 2025 and make the high-altitude Kulma Pass operational year-round by 2027.
The prolonged border dispute has already dented bilateral trade. Annual volumes have fallen from USD 2.5 billion earlier in the decade to between USD 1 and 1.5 billion. In the first nine months of 2025, trade dropped 13% year-on-year, continuing a downward trend driven by political friction and tightened security measures.
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