KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan is poised to gain improved access to international markets through Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, following the docking of a second Afghan transit trade vessel, according to Radio Pakistan.
The ship, carrying 20,000 metric tons of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilizer, was part of ongoing transit operations under the Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement.
Pakistan’s Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, welcomed the development, calling it part of Islamabad’s “sustained efforts to operationalize Gwadar Port as a strategic trade gateway for landlocked Afghanistan,” as reported by Radio Pakistan.
The minister said Gwadar’s growing role in Afghan transit trade reflected Pakistan’s commitment to enabling smooth and direct access for Afghan goods to global markets.
The move is seen as a continuation of cargo operations that first began in 2020, when Afghanistan started using Gwadar as an alternative to the traditional ports of Karachi and Port Qasim.
The use of Gwadar is considered particularly beneficial for traders in southern Afghanistan, with shorter overland routes to Kandahar and surrounding provinces. The port also forms a key component of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major infrastructure initiative under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to increase regional trade links and transit options.
Gwadar’s activation for Afghan trade comes at a time when the Taliban is also seeking to diversify its trade routes through Iran’s Chabahar Port and the Lapis Lazuli Corridor via Central Asia and Turkey.
However, developments at Gwadar signal a renewed cooperation between Islamabad and the Taliban on economic fronts, despite complex political relations between the two, given frequent border clashes and cross-border terror attacks.
The shipment’s arrival also underscores the broader regional effort to promote trade connectivity among Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China. While Beijing has yet to recognize the Taliban regime formally, it has granted tariff-free access to Afghan exports and shown growing interest in regional integration, including infrastructure projects that could link Gwadar to Afghan and Central Asian markets.
