• Asad Qaiser says economic activities at standstill due to border closure; claims state policy breeding resentment in KP
• Muhammad Zubair claims exports decreasing for the past three years, urges course correction

ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Wednesday warned the federal government about the fallout of its decision to suspend trade with Afghanistan, saying that economic activities had come to a standstill due to the border closure.

The border was shut down by Pakistan after hostilities with Afghanistan flared up due to an increase in terrorist attacks in the country, which were claimed by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan based in the neighbouring country.

In a press conference held in Islamabad, PTI leader Asad Qaiser said trade activities are not halted anywhere across the globe despite wars.

“People are not getting jobs and economic activities have been halted in the province as the border with Afghanistan has been closed. You are ready to have working relations with India and reached a ceasefire with India, which is our biggest enemy, then why not with Afghanistan?” he said, calling out the government for its reluctance to talk to Afghanistan.

The former National Assembly speaker said Pakistan should engage in trade with China, Iran, and Afghanistan and all issues needed to be settled through diplomacy.

He said former prime minister Imran Khan was also in favour of trade with Afghanistan and had made policies to enhance commercial ties with Kabul.

“Pakistan should not get itself involved in any dispute. We want the rule of law,” he said, adding that business opportunities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were “blocked”. In KP, industries were shutting down due to which unemployment and frustration were rising, he said, adding that such policies would breed resentment.

The PTI leader also demanded that all state institutions remain within their limits. “We are not against any institution. Pak Army is our army…but we want it to stay in its domain.”

In response to a question, he said the provincial government organised a peace jirga, participated by all political parties, in which it was disclosed that the law and order issue in KP was due to the state’s foreign policy.

Former PML-N leader Muham­mad Zubair said Pakistan’s exports had been decreasing for the past three years and the trade deficit had increased by 37 per cent.

“The government claims that it has recovered the economy and ensured stability. However, last week, three government figures, including SIFC representative General Sarfraz, said that no one will invest in Pakistan because of higher taxes,” he claimed. He said the State Bank of Pakistan’s governor had said the policy rate needed to be revised while the privatisation minister had said no one was willing to invest in Pakistan because of the bad governance system.

He said that a recent survey regarding unemployment, conducted by the government, shows that the unemployment rate was the highest in the last 21 years. He further said that the government was not ready to speak about the IMF report, which said that the privileged class in Pakistan was reaping the benefits of the system.

Muhammad Zubair said that it was unfortunate that no leader in the PML-N and the PPP was able to become the finance minister. He said that while there were so many economists in Pakistan, only the bankers were getting the task to address the economy.

Former KP finance minister Taimur Khan Jhagra said that as per the government spokesperson, Imran Khan was not allowed to meet party leaders and family because he was a Taliban sympathiser.

“Information ministry’s spokesmen are becoming a laughing stock while giving interviews to foreign media,” he quipped.

“In terms of governance ranking, Pakistan’s ranking was below all South Asian countries. Pakistan has been ranked at 109, Bangladesh at 95, Sri Lanka at 99, and India at 72,” he claimed.

He said the National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting will be held on Thursday (today) wherein they will take up the KP’s case for its due share. He claimed that the current NFC was against the Constitution as people of erstwhile Fata were not getting their share.

Haleem Adil Sheikh also spoke on the occasion, claiming Sindh was contributing 65 per cent to the NFC award, but people of Karachi and Hyderabad were not getting their due share due to the provincial government.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2025