The Afghan Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has directed Afghan traders and industrialists to explore alternative trade routes instead of relying on Pakistan. This is a wise decision because he knows that Pakistan will not allow Pak-Afghan trade when incidents such as the Wana Cadet College and Islamabad Lower Courts attacks continue.

I personally wish to thank him for this announcement because the Pak-Afghan transit trade route has been instrumental in all kinds of smuggling in Pakistan for ages, discouraging Pakistani industrialists from investing in several fields as cheaper imported items are always available in the local market through Pak-Afghan transit trade smuggling rackets.

For now, Pakistan has realised that trade diplomacy, while important in shaping economic landscapes, has never favoured Pakistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan's bilateral trade agreements are one of the main sources of bleeding Pakistan economically and politically, as this passage has been used for injecting terrorists........

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