Pakistan has announced the activation of a new trade route connecting Central Asian countries to the port of Karachi via China, as border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan remain closed.
In a statement, the state-owned National Logistics Company said that the first shipment of goods from Kyrgyzstan has entered Pakistan through this route.
The statement added: “Pakistan has become a fast, secure and reliable trade corridor for landlocked Central Asian countries.”
The company said the new route could provide greater stability and predictability for transit trade.
This comes as trade relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been disrupted for several months, preventing Pakistan from accessing Central Asian markets through Afghanistan.
For decades, Pakistan served as Afghanistan’s main access route to international waters, although that role has now partially shifted to Iran.
