- By Shibra Arshad
- Sat, 17 May 2025 08:47 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
India Afghanistan Trade News: India approved the ‘special entry’ of 160 Afghan trucks with dry fruits and nuts through the Attari border with Pakistan, a day after the External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar, spoke to Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, which was the first political relationship established between the two countries. India is yet to officially announce the entry of these trucks into the country, Times of India reported.
The report, quoting the sources, said that Pakistan delayed the movement of the trucks on the Wagha side of the border, later allowed some of them to proceed and unload the goods on Attari on Friday. Pakistan in past has allowed the one-way trade between India and Afghanistan through that border, allowing Afghanistan to sell its products to India, but India could not export any to Afghanistan, given that the trade was one-way.
The meeting between S Jaishankar and Muttaqi on May 15 marked the first political meeting between the representatives of the two countries after the Taliban came to power.
In recent the only time Pakistan allowed the transfer of goods from India to Afghanistan was in late 2021, when India proposed sending 50,000 tonnes of wheat as aid to the drought-affected country. The Taliban, who had just returned to Kabul, had asked Pakistan not to hold up clearance for the supply.
India Remains The Top Importer Of Afghanistan's Goods In South Asia
Despite several attempts by Pakistan to create hurdles in transit, India remains the number one market for Afghan products in South Asia, and annual trade stands at approximately $1 billion.
Muttaqi had called Jaishankar on Thursday ahead of his upcoming visit to Iran and China. Both leaders have decided to remain in touch and not lose the strong and long-standing relationship by falling prey to Pakistan’s tactic to sow discord between India and the Taliban, including through the claim that India fired missiles at Afghanistan.
The report added, quoting a source, that this was significant “posturing” given the tense situation that followed Operation Sindoor. Jaishankar also thanked Muttaqi for the solidarity Kabul expressed for India after the Pahalgam attack.
India has been looking to resume work on its projects in Afghanistan, while also considering more development cooperation projects, since Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Muttaqi in Dubai earlier this year. It is anticipated that efforts to maintain the bilateral relationship between the two countries will be further expedited.
As per sources quoted by the Times of India, India is considering humanitarian aid for Afghan refugees expelled by Pakistan.
“Since 2021, India has sent 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 350 tonnes of medicines, 40,000 litres of Malathion (pesticide) and 28 tonnes of earthquake relief material to Afghanistan. We have provided 2,000 online scholarships for Afghan students. This aid was appreciated by the Afghan side,” the source, quoted in the report, added.