Days after the Taliban took over the capital city Kabul in Afghanistan, the Taliban has stopped all the exports and imports with India. The Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) made an announcement that the terrorist organization has stopped the trade between the two countries.

According to Dr. Ajay Sahai, Director General of FIEO, the Taliban have halted cargo movement through Pakistan's transit routes, thus halting exports and imports from the nation. "We keep a close watch on developments in Afghanistan. Imports from there come through the transit route of Pakistan. As of now, the Taliban has stopped the movement of cargo to Pakistan, so virtually imports have stopped," news agency ANI quoted Dr. Sahai as saying.

Taliban spokesperson
Zabihullah MujahidImage---Twitter@ToloNews

The DG of FIEO also went on to add that India is not only one of Afghanistan's top trading partners, but it also has a significant investment in the country. He noted that there are about 400 projects in the works, some of which are now underway.

Sahay said: "In fact, we are one of the largest partners of Afghanistan and our exports to Afghanistan are worth around $835 million for 2021. We imported goods worth around $510 Million. But besides the trade, we have a sizeable investment in Afghanistan. We have invested around $3 billion in Afghanistan and there are 400-odd projects in Afghanistan some of which are currently going on."

Afghan Taliban fighters
Afghan Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021. (Str/Xinhua/IANS)Str/Xinhua/IANS

India now exports sugar, pharmaceuticals, textiles, tea, coffee, spices, and transmission towers to Afghanistan. The imports are intertwined and heavily reliant on dried fruits. He also mentioned that India imports a small amount of gum and onions from the country.

Taliban asks India to complete infrastructure projects

Meanwhile, the Taliban has asked India that it may complete the infrastructure projects across Afghanistan. Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said, "India has made projects, many reconstruction and infrastructure projects, and if they want, they can complete the incomplete projects because they are for the people."