Pakistan-Central Asia trade falls 51% amid Afghan border closures

Pakistan’s bilateral trade with five Central Asian countries fell by 50.62% in FY26, totaling $219.125 million. This decline is largely attributed to the closure of border trade stations with Afghanistan, which has disrupted essential land-based trade routes used to access the region.

Trade with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan reached $443.712 million in FY25. The recent downturn was driven primarily by an 88.35% drop in imports. While exports remained relatively resilient with only a 4.1% decrease, the overall volume of commerce has been significantly constrained.

Container traffic through Pakistan has seen a sharp collapse, falling from 102,886 containers in FY23 to just 11,592 in FY26. As a result, Afghanistan is diversifying its trade routes, with Iran emerging as a major alternative. According to the World Bank, the Iranian corridor has become a vital part of Afghanistan’s import supply chain, accounting for a significant portion of the country's imports.