Trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan is now normal again. It had stopped because Pakistan introduced a new rule, asking the crew of commercial vehicles to have passports and visas. In response, Afghanistan didn’t let any trucks pass.
But now, officials from both countries have had a meeting and agreed to extend the deadline for Afghan drivers by two weeks. This means they can continue trading without the new rule for now.
Relations between the two countries have been tense since October, when Pakistan decided to deport many Afghan migrants. Pakistan now requires Afghans to have passports and visas to enter, instead of just using their national identity cards.
Afghanistan depends a lot on Pakistan for imports, and Pakistan says it loses a lot of money by letting Afghan goods enter without taxes. Afghanistan, on the other hand, says it doesn’t allow foreign militants to use its land and that Pakistan’s security issues are its own problems.
