Afghanistan dropped a bombshell in its feud with Pakistan: no more sales of Pakistani-sourced medicines after February 9. The Finance Ministry’s urgent appeal to traders—complete all transactions in 19 days—marks the end of customs processing for these imports, enforcing a decision first floated on November 13.
Pajhwok reports capture the urgency against a backdrop of border chaos. Trade halts since 2024’s close have unleashed price volatility along the volatile Durand Line, where skirmishes, including October’s brutal shootout, repeatedly sabotage ceasefires.
As a landlocked state, Afghanistan’s trade lifelines run through Pakistan’s ports, though Iran offers a western lifeline. Cross-border violence escalated three months back, with Taliban strikes avenging claimed Pakistani bombings on Afghan land.
Mediation flops by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey expose the rift’s depth. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid slammed Pakistan’s ‘non-cooperative and irresponsible’ role in stalled Turkish talks, despite Kabul’s earnest outreach.
Deputy PM Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar preempted this in November, rallying traders to ditch Pakistan dependency. He decried Islamabad’s habit of sealing borders and mixing politics with commerce, which has hammered businesses bilaterally—hence Kabul’s hardline pivot.
The ban threatens immediate supply shocks in Afghanistan’s pharma sector but fits a larger diversification drive. As deadlines tighten, it spotlights the perils of fragile borders and hints at enduring realignments in Central-South Asian trade flows.