Sale of stranded Afghan cargo begins
Pakistani customs has opened a Karachi Port container auction covering hundreds of boxes that belong to Afghan merchants. Officials link the move to unpaid duties, mounting warehouse bills and long waits that left the freight uncleared while Pakistan–Afghanistan trade routes stayed disrupted.
Photographs from the sales firm show crates opened so bidders can inspect the merchandise. Merchant Matiullah said the process started several days before those pictures circulated. He said owners had already been served notices and that they may still petition courts to freeze a lot before it is sold.
Why the boxes were left behind
Shutdowns on main land and transit corridors trapped Afghan consignments inside Pakistani harbours and drove up holding costs. Younus Mohmand, speaking for Afghan trade interests, said the lots now on the block are those merchants could not reclaim because duties and storage fees rose beyond what they could pay.
Leaders at Afghanistan’s chamber of commerce have rejected the disposal, arguing it clashes with regional and international commerce norms. The Karachi Port container auction sits inside a wider chill between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities in Kabul: Pakistan ties frontier curbs to security, while Kabul says trade and transit are being used as political pressure.
Earlier rescue of cargo, and what remains
Months ago, Pakistani agencies let Afghan owners take stranded freight out or forward it elsewhere. At that stage the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries put about 15,000 containers and related consignments at risk of forced sale. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce later said more than 60 percent of that stock had gone back to its origin countries, with other loads shifted toward Iran’s Chabahar and Bandar Abbas.
How many Afghan-owned boxes still sit at Karachi is not publicly settled. Thousands left after the earlier window, yet traders still report unfinished cargo on the docks. Cross-border business has also shrunk sharply: bilateral trade fell from $1.3 billion in fiscal 2024–25 to $358 million in 2025–26—about a three-quarters drop—and Afghan firms have looked toward Iran and Central Asia instead.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2024–25 fiscal year: Pakistan–Afghanistan trade stood at about $1.3 billion.
- Earlier in 2025: Islamabad allowed Afghan owners to clear or divert stranded port cargo; chambers warned roughly 15,000 boxes and lots could face auction.
- After that window: Joint chamber figures said over 60 percent of those goods returned home; some moved via Iranian ports.
- 2025–26 fiscal year: Bilateral trade fell to about $358 million, down roughly 74 percent.
- Recent days: Customs opened the Karachi Port container auction of remaining Afghan lots; notices went out and sales photos showed opened crates.
- Ongoing: Talks in Doha, Istanbul and Riyadh have not yet put routine transit back on track.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Karachi Port par Afghan tajiron ke kai containers ki nilami shuru ho gayi hai. Customs ke mutabiq tax aur godown charges na bharnay ki wajah se saman atka hua tha. Jo log abhi bhi saman nikalwana chahte hain, notice milne ke baad court ja sakte hain. Border band hone se dono mulkon ka tijarat bhi bohot kam ho gaya hai.
