New Delhi: India-Afghanistan trade took a historic turn on Sunday when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj flagged off the first shipment of wheat to the country via the Chabahar port in Iran. There were two clear messages with the consignment - India is committed to building close ties with Afghanistan, and that it does not need Pakistan to provide a passage for it.
Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani flagged off the shipment of wheat from India to Afghanistan through video conferencing. "The shipment of wheat is a landmark moment as it will pave the way for operationalisation of the Chabahar port as an alternate, reliable and robust connectivity for Afghanistan," the MEA said in a statement. Negating the need to send and receive shipments through Pakistan, both India and Afghanistan now open a new chapter in bilateral trade through the strategic port in Iran.
EAM @SushmaSwaraj flags off first shipment of wheat from India to Afghanistan through Chabahar port, Iran & Afghanistan joined the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/W7hKek66D9
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) October 29, 2017
Not that Pakistan did not try to revive land passage from within its territory.
According to a report in The Hindu, Pakistani Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa offered talks on the prospect of reviving Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) and possibly including India. It is learnt that the same was communicated by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to New Delhi via the embassy in Kabul. The report though says Indian officials at the SCO Afghanistan-Contact group meeting in Moscow told the Afghan delegation that it would not take up the offer for talks.
The move comes at a time when the United States is urging India to increase its scope of work in Aghanistan. While India has made it clear that it won't play any military role, trade is a completely different aspect and one that would benefit both countries. India has already committed to sending 1.1 million tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan on grant basis. Six more wheat consignments will be sent in the upcoming months.
The move also comes at a time when dark clouds are hovering over Pakistan-Afghanistan trade. Earlier this month, Ghani banned Pakistani trucks from entering his country via the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings - according to Tolo News. "The Afghanistan and Pakistan Trade Agreement (APTA) has expired. Before this Pakistan did not allow Afghan trucks to enter its territory. So we (will) do the same, and after this Pakistani trucks will be unloaded at borders and Afghan trucks will carry the goods to Hairatan and Shir Khan ports," Transport Ministry spokesman Hekmatullah Qawanch was quoted as saying.
The discussions over the revised transit treaty between Afghanistan and Pakistan too has repeatedly hit roadblocks and many in Islamabad fear that New Delhi will snatch the initiative as a close trade partner.
