Pakistan loses more than $4.5 billion in trade due to closure of transit routes with Afghanistan

The Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce (PAJCCI) said the closure of transit routes between the two countries has caused more than $4.5 billion in losses to Pakistani trade.

Pakistani media quoted the chamber as saying that before the roads were closed during the agricultural and construction seasons, between $50 and $60 million were exported from Pakistan to Afghanistan daily.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce warned that if the situation continues, seasonal exports such as malt and potatoes will suffer an additional loss of about $200 million in the December-March period.

The chamber called on officials from both countries to work to resolve border disputes and quickly reopen routes so that bilateral trade, which is worth billions of dollars annually, can be saved from further losses.