New wave of terror in Balochistan made everyone worried. Afghanistan should not be given land route to India. National security more important than connectivity.

(April 24, 2019)

President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President All Karachi Industrial Alliance (AKIA), Senior Vice Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former provincial minister, Mian Zahid Hussain on Wednesday said that,  a new wave of terrorism has raised concerns among masses and the business community. People thought that terrorism has been eliminated from the country but the enemies of the nation have once again proved that they still exist and are currently active which calls for a strict action, he said. Army should launch a decisive operation to uproot terrorism from Pakistan forever so that masses could get relief, he demanded.

The Veteran Business Leader told the business community that Pakistan is going through a difficult period of time and is already facing a number of crises including an unstable economy, water shortage, and rising unemployment. The country’s name has already been added to the grey list of Financial Action Task Force and amid all these troubles Afghanistan has demanded access to Indian Territory for its trucks which should not be allowed under any circumstances. He said that Afghanistan has linked free movement of its cargo through Pakistani roads to the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan Trade and Transit Agreement (PATTA) which should not be allowed. The PATTTA is a very important project for Pakistan but it will never gain importance over the national security, he said.

The business leader said that our government should suspend the project which can compromise the national security as we are already facing problems. He noted that Khyber Pass Economic Corridor was not a good project for Pakistan as it would have burdened our country by half a billion dollars while four countries were to benefit from it. Why should Pakistan pay the price when not a single country is ready to share the financial burden, he asked. Afghanistan has already launched a trade route to India through Iran then why Kabul is insisting on a land route to India through Pakistan, he said. The Iranian port of Chabahar provides easy access to the sea to Afghanistan and India has helped developed this route to allow both countries to engage in trade bypassing Pakistan.