ISLAMABAD – Indian government decided to restart its long-halted air freight operations with Afghanistan as Kabul top commerce official, Minister Nooruddin Azizi, arrives in New Delhi on high-stakes mission to secure new economic lifelines.
India’s Joint Secretary of External Affairs said key Kabul–Delhi and Kabul–Amritsar air cargo routes have already been reactivated. Cargo flights on these corridors are expected to start soon. Prakash delivered announcement during an interactive session hosted by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, attended by Azizi and his Afghan delegation.
Indian officials said renewed corridor will give a strong boost to bilateral trade, which currently stands near $1 billion. Prakash stressed that India and Afghanistan have also revived their long-dormant Joint Working Group on trade, business, and investment, stressing that active involvement from business communities on both sides will be “absolutely essential” to unlock the full economic potential.
Azizi’s five-day trip to India is unfolding against a backdrop of escalating Pakistan–Afghanistan border tensions and major disruptions in regional trade routes.
With Pakistan shutting down the crucial Torkham border crossing, leaving nearly 8,000 Afghan containers stranded, Afghanistan is looking for othet options to diversify its trade partners. Azizi is using his India visit to push for expanded agricultural exports, improved access for Afghan goods in Indian markets, and increased imports of Indian medicines, textiles, and machinery.
As Kabul seeks alternatives to Islamabad, New Delhi appears ready to step into a more prominent economic role. Both nations have agreed to appoint trade attachés in their respective embassies and accelerate cooperation through the revived trade and investment group.
On the other hand, tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain all time high after deadly border clashes in October. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif openly claimed that stopping Afghan transit trade actually benefits Pakistan, arguing that much of the cargo ends up being smuggled back into the country.
Reacting to Islamabad’s tightening grip on cross-border trade, Afghanistan’s Deputy PM Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar issued a bold call to Afghan traders: stop relying on Pakistan and seek new markets.
Pakistan rejects India’s remarks on Pak-Afghan relations as misleading
