Pakistan’s transit curbs force Indian exporters to divert exports from Afghanistan via Dubai | Today’s news

Dushyant Mulani, President of the Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations of India (FFFAI), the apex body representing 31 member associations and 5,000 customs officers, explained the diversion mechanism. Traders based in Dubai and the Indian business community there are rebooking goods for Afghanistan, in part because the Afghan banking system poses problems and Dubai operates as a free trade zone. The goods are usually moved from India to Dubai, then to the Iranian port of Bandar-e-Abbas before being transported to Afghanistan. High-value items such as medical equipment and vaccines travel on the Delhi-Kabul routes, but since these are small aircraft, larger shipments are still routed through Dubai Airport.