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India succeeds hurting Pakistan’s trade interest in Afghanistan

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Development of Iranian port Chabahar and connecting road to Afghanistan by India has started showing results causing huge trade deficit for Pakistan. A senior Pakistani official has acknowledged that India has succeeded to penetrate in Kabul declining their market share by more than 50 per cent falling to $ 1.2 billion from $ 2.7 billion during last two years.

According to Dawn, Zubain Motiwala, Chairman Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry who recently visited Kabul said on Friday that the penetration of India and China into Afghan market has limited Pakistan’s option to retain its market share. He said that India subsidises heavily on its exports. Pakistan has been losing even the traditional markets of flour, men and women’s clothes and red meat.

According to Motiwala, India has been providing goods at subsidised rates to capture the market and are providing air tickets with a 75pc rebate. Afghans find it easy to travel to India with cheap tickets and free multiple visas without police checks.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports to Afghanistan dropped to $1.271bn in FY17 from $1.437bn in FY16. Exports in the first quarter of 2017-18 stood at $319 million. Traditionally Kabul was natural market for Pakistani exports which is now changing because of cheaper products from China and India.

Rising India’s medical tourism has also affected Pakistan. Earlier thousands of Afghans used to visit Peshawar for medical treatment but now they prefer going to India due to cheaper treatments. “Medical tourism of Peshawar, which was mainly due to Afghans, is now at zero level; hospitals in Hayatabad are empty,” Motiwala added.

Large numbers of Peshawar traders have also lost their business. Out of 200 flour mills, about 100 have been closed down due to a drastic fall in the export of flour to Afghanistan.

Movement of containers’ traffic from Karachi port to Kabul have also decreased from average 70,000 to just 7000 which reflects the change of trading route for imported goods to Afghanistan.

Dawn report further says that Pakistan was the biggest supplier of shalwar qameez suits to Kabul which is now shifted to the supplies from India and China. This was a traditional Pakistani item in Afghan market.

India succeeds hurting Pakistan’s trade interest in Afghanistan

Earlier on February 9, Eurasian Times had reported that over 80% of Afghanistan’s cargo traffic has shifted from Karachi seaport to Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports in Iran. The move comes as a result to Pakistan’s new trade tariffs and inauguration of Chabahar port, which is expected to greatly impact the Pakistan’s role in trade transit for Afghanistan.

In October last year, India shipped its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan by sea through Chabahar port, launching a trade route bypassing Pakistan. The shipment was sent from Kandla seaport. The shipment was taken by trucks to Afghanistan from the Iranian port.

In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan had signed a historic three-nation deal to develop the strategic Chabahar port and build a transport and trade corridor through Afghanistan that could halve the time and cost of doing business with Europe.

Since 2001 US-led military operation to remove Taliban government in Afghanistan, militant groups used to attack coalition cargo travelling from Karachi to Kabul in Baluchistan province for black mailing US administration and exerting pressure on Pakistan government.

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Trump rejects Iran’s 7-day peace plan, says deal can come after US polls

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal to end hostilities and indicated that a deal could come after the US midterm elections in November.

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Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing conflict, while indicating that a possible agreement could come after the US midterm elections in November.

Iran had proposed a seven-day framework under which hostilities could be brought to an end, the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and negotiations over its nuclear programme could resume.

Iran’s seven-day proposal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had put forward the proposal through intermediaries. Under the plan, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened by the end of the seventh day if specified conditions were met, while broader nuclear discussions would restart.

The proposal was based largely on an earlier understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, but Iran sought to implement the latest framework much faster. The earlier arrangement had provided a longer period for negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important waterway for global energy shipments, making its reopening a key element of any effort to ease the wider conflict.

Trump points to US midterm elections

Trump, speaking at the United Nations, showed no indication that he was ready to immediately resume negotiations on the terms proposed by Tehran.

He called for the economic isolation of Iran and said he believed a deal could be reached after the US midterm elections in November. Trump also said Iran was waiting to see how he performed in the midterm elections.

The remarks came as Iranian officials signalled that they remained open to diplomacy and described the UN General Assembly as an opportunity to revive negotiations.

Nuclear talks remain part of Iran proposal

Iran’s latest plan links the easing of hostilities with the resumption of negotiations over its nuclear programme.

The proposal follows the collapse of an earlier US-Iran arrangement. According to reporting on the latest proposal, the new framework is intended to compress the timeline for implementing commitments that had previously been discussed by the two sides.

For now, Trump’s remarks indicate that Washington is not accepting Tehran’s seven-day framework as presented, while Iran continues to put diplomacy and negotiations forward as part of its proposal.

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Iranian President Pezeshkian at UN says Iranians have been victims of US terrorism

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the UN General Assembly that Iranians had been victims of US terrorism and insisted that Iran had acted in self-defence.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of subjecting Iranians to what he described as terrorism while addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Pezeshkian said Iran had defended itself against attacks and rejected the characterisation of the country as a terrorist actor. His remarks came during a rare wartime appearance at the UN as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high.

Pezeshkian accuses US and Israel of attacks

Speaking at the General Assembly, Pezeshkian said Iranian civilians had been targeted by attacks and described the actions against his country as aggression.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said, according to the report.

Pezeshkian also accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran, while maintaining that Tehran’s response was an act of self-defence.

The Iranian president displayed photographs of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren who, according to his account, were killed during the early days of the conflict.

Iran’s message at the UN

Pezeshkian’s address came against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and heightened tensions in the region.

Iranian officials had indicated ahead of the UN visit that they intended to highlight what Tehran considers attacks against its people and raise concerns over the international response to the conflict.

The Iranian delegation’s visit to New York also comes amid restrictions imposed by the United States on the delegation’s movement and other aspects of its stay, according to reporting ahead of the address.

Pezeshkian says Iran defended itself

Pezeshkian’s central message at the UN was that Iran’s military actions should be viewed as a response to attacks rather than terrorism.

His description of the conflict and the allegations against the United States and Israel represent the Iranian government’s position. They should therefore be attributed to Pezeshkian rather than presented as independently established facts.

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PM Modi’s Canada visit could help wrap trade talks, says Canada PM Mark Carney

Canadian PM Mark Carney said he is looking forward to hosting PM Narendra Modi, with both countries aiming to conclude their ongoing trade negotiations.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as India and Canada continue efforts to advance their bilateral relationship and conclude ongoing trade negotiations.

The two countries have been working towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with both sides previously setting a target to conclude the negotiations in 2026.

Carney and Modi have held discussions on strengthening economic ties between India and Canada, including trade and investment. Their engagement has gained momentum following Carney’s visit to India earlier this year.

India-Canada trade talks

India and Canada formally resumed efforts towards a broader trade agreement after a period of strained bilateral ties. The two sides have committed to advancing negotiations on a CEPA covering their economic relationship.

In June, Carney and Modi reviewed progress in bilateral economic cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. They expressed satisfaction with the progress in CEPA negotiations and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the talks in 2026.

During Carney’s visit to India in March, the two leaders had also agreed to accelerate negotiations on the CEPA and work towards finalising the agreement during 2026.

Modi’s proposed Canada visit

Carney had invited PM Modi to visit Canada in 2026, and the two leaders agreed to remain engaged through diplomatic channels to work towards a mutually convenient date for the visit.

The proposed visit comes as New Delhi and Ottawa seek to build on renewed diplomatic and economic engagement, with trade negotiations remaining a key part of the relationship.

The focus on completing the trade talks comes as both countries look to expand commercial ties and establish a broader economic framework through the proposed CEPA.

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