Pakistan Declines Wagah Transit Route Request

In a small setback to the Indian Afghan trade, Pakistan has rejected India's as well as Afghan President Hamid Karzai's request to open the Wagah border point trade route for export of its goods to Afghanistan saying the option is not feasible for Islamabad.

Islamabad currently allows Kabul to export items to New Delhi by using Pakistan's land routes but do not permit Indian exports to be transported through the same route.

Pakistan says India could use Karachi from where it has transportation facilities for land-locked Afghanistan but India prefers the land route as it reduced the costs.

Most of the Indian goods for Afghanistan and Central Asia are routed through Chabahar port in Iran.