ISLAMABAD – Chairman Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce andIndustry Zubair Motiwala has informed that Pakistan’s trade withAfghanistan fell to $1.2 billion from $2.7bn within in the last two years.

According to Motiwala, the drastic fall in Pakistan’s exports toAfghanistan has direct links with the penetration of India in Afghanmarkets as well as China which supplies products on a competitive scale.

Motiwala further added that Pakistan has been losing even the traditionalmarkets of flour, men and women’s clothes and red meat, affecting aroundthe 200 flour mills out of which around 100 have been closed besides thedrastic fall has affected the Peshawar medical tourism.

India has been providing goods at subsidised rates to capture the marketand are providing air tickets with a 75pc rebate, he told the paper.

He also added that Afghans find it easy to travel to India with cheaptickets and free multiple visas without police checks.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports to Afghanistan droppedto $1.271bn in FY17 from $1.437bn in FY16. Exports in the first quarter of2017-18 stood at $319 million.

State Bank’s data showed that the imports from Afghanistan increased to$68m in FY17, compared to $40m in FY16.