Pakistan holding trump card on NATO supply halt

Though initially the United States was not showing any anxiety on Pakistan’s action to halt all supplies to US-led forces in Afghanistan through Pakistani soil, at least the statements emanated from Washington reflected so, but, after three weeks, the reports reaching from Afghanistan suggested that Pakistani action has inflicted a telling blow on them.

A panic-like situation is witnessed in the military camps and garrisons across the Durand line as level of mobility and actions of the forces fighting with Taliban have come down. The winter has become very harsh for the NATO forces after cutting off fuel supply through tankers from Pakistan, standing in long queues at Pakistani ports, different areas on Pak-Afghan borders and roadsides resting places along the highways in Pakistan waiting green signal from the government.

More than four thousand tankers engaged in supplies have been halted while the loading and carrying containers with food and other essentials have also been stopped, cutting off life line of the forces, at least in this harsh winter when the northern supply routes through Central Asian Republics and Russian Federation have also frozen this year.

Pakistan is holding a crucial trump card at least for three months when this inhospitable winter will keep its wings on the northern supply routes for the forces in Afghanistan. The US can manage its light supplies through northern routes by air, but its heavy supplies, possible only through sea and land routes can not be carried out in this harsh winter without route from Pakistani. Even, a long supply route through Russian Federation and central Asian Republics, after the winter is over will cost the super power 100 times more than the route through Pakistan, which is the shortest one.

The situation for the NATO forces can further worsen, if Pakistan announces to close air corridor given to the US over Pakistani territory. This situation can precipitate the miseries for the forces fighting in a barren land infested with Taliban. Pakistan Government is also contemplating to put taxes and route cess on NATO supplies, the sources in the government said.

All these steps can expedite the evacuation of US-led NATO forces from neighbouring Afghanistan, the sources told this scribe.

Nato supply disruption reduces tea smuggling

Tea smuggling from Afghanistan has started declining after disconnection of NATO supply and improvement in border control system during last few months. With the slight decline in smuggling from the neighbouring country, the legal import of the highly consumed kitchen item has also started increasing, sources told Profit. Though improvement in legal imports of tea is temporary and lesser as compared to over 40 per cent smuggling Afghanistan, the fresh move of controlling borders will benefit the country, they said.

 

The interruption in NATO supply from Pakistani border has caused decline in smuggling in the couple of months. Tea, as one of the major import items of Afghanistan under Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), was mostly being smuggled to Pakistan as it was not being consumed in the neighbouring country. Major import commodities included yarn and synthetic staple fibers fabric; electrical appliance and equipment; yarn and fabric of synthetic filament; machinery and mechanical appliance; paper and paperboard; animal and vegetable oils; coffee and spices; rubber and article thereof; sugar and sugar confectionaries; auto parts and accessories, etc.

 

According to sources, Pakistani market consumes 225,000 tonnes a year currently with handsome annual growth in imports and sales. The import of black tea is heavily carried out from different countries for meeting the local demand. Pakistan meets its green tea requirement from five countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, China and Sri Lanka. Vietnam has a major share of 64.38 per cent in this group. Indonesia, Bangladesh and China’s shares in Pakistan’s green tea market are 2.33 per cent, 3.58 per cent, and 29.76 per cent respectively.