APTTA and its consequences for Pakistan

Afghanistan is a landlocked country; that’s why it is dependent upon transit countries for its foreign trade. Pakistan can provide Afghanistan access to a seaport, while on other hand Afghanistan due to its strategic geographic location, has the potential to provide Pakistan a land link with direct routes to the Central Asia Region, and Central Asian Republics (CARs) are full of resources and Afghanistan is regional hub between Central and South Asia. New Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) will permit Afghan trucks to carry export goods to Wagah border for India. Pak-Afghan Transit Trade deal has been done under US pressure; some analysts said that this agreement would benefit India while Pakistan would be a loser because deal carries negative consequences for Pakistan. A Pakistan official said that "we want India to allow transit facilities to Pakistan for Nepal and Bhutan", because these states has the huge hydropower potential, they can produce more electricity while because of poverty they has no technology to utilise it, and India wants the electricity of these states, Pakistan should not expect that India will provide it route for trade with Nepal and Bhutan and Pakistan has agreed to give route to Afghanistan for trade with India. Pakistan did not realise its consequences Indo-Afghan trade is not going to benefit Pakistan, it will lead its economy towards danger; Afghanistan depends on Pakistan for trade. Many goods from Peshawar and Quetta and other areas of Pakistan were exported to Afghanistan but now APTTA will provide Afghanistan trade route to India which is a greater threat to Pakistan. When the trucks will reach Pakistan territory by carrying goods for India who knows what type of material they are exporting to India. Pakistan rather showing moderate behaviour must talk about check and balance terms for these material. By providing trade route to India, Pakistan is making strong the economy of his adversary, if we see throughout history India had been trying to establish good relations with Afghanistan to destabilize Pakistan position in South Asia region, Afghanistan is a Muslim state but since 1947 Afghanistan’s relations are more stable with India than Pakistan and Afghanistan always insisted that Pakistan must provide route to Afghanistan for trade with India. If in return Afghanistan provided us route to CARs, it would not be easy for Pakistan to accomplish its interests because presence of major powers is in CARs because of their resources. So Pakistan should not allow India a trade route to Afghanistan. Our policy planners must consider the reasons and intentions of India behind this agreement. If we analyse the consequences of agreement on domestic level it will create serious economic problems for those local people, who are attached with Afghan transit trade, especially the truckers, because if Afghanistan will start this trade with India the future of local truckers will be on stake. According to President of Pak-Afghan Truck Union Haji Gul Zarin Khan "allowing Afghan trucks via Chaman to Whaga border and Karachi port would be disastrous for local transporters, besides leaving hundreds of local people jobless." It will also make security problem for Pakistan, because if any issue in India take place India always blame Pakistan so when this trade start from Pakistan, it will have to be cautious. This agreement will give Pakistan more losses rather than any benefits