Afghan Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi at the India International Trade Fair during his official visit to New Delhi (Photo: ANI)
One thing is crystal clear from Afghanistan's latest diplomatic outreach Kabul is gradually breaking away from Pakistan while expanding its engagement with India. This shift was underscored Wednesday when the country's industry and commerce minister, Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi, arrived in New Delhi on a five-day official visit.
His presence at the India International Trade Fair 2025 marked the first-ever ministerial level Afghan participation in the event since 2021. The timing is telling coming as the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan remains shut following Islamabad's recent military strikes inside Afghan soil.
Azizi, who is leading a big business delegation, was received at Bharat Mandapam by Neeraj Kharwal, Managing Director of the India Trade Promotion Organisation. Earlier in the day, he met officials at the Ministry of External Affairs, where Joint Secretary Anand Prakash received him.
The ministry said strengthening trade and investment remains the primary objective of the visit. Azizi is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to discuss broader economic cooperation.
During his visit to the trade fair, Azizi engaged extensively with the Afghan exhibitors and traders operating out of India. New Delhi already figures among Afghanistan's biggest trading partners, with Indian exports covering pharmaceuticals, textiles, food products and machinery.
In return, Afghanistan supplies fruits, dry nuts, and minerals. With India upgrading its mission in Kabul to full embassy status, Afghan officials are now actively seeking investment in mining and infrastructure, signalling a long-term partnership beyond seasonal trade.
Kabul's economic signaling grew louder as Ariana Afghan Airlines dramatically cut cargo rates on the Delhi–Kabul route just hours before Azizi's arrival. The rate is down from two dollars per kilogram to eighty cents, while the Kabul-bound shipments from India will now cost only one dollar per kilogram.
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The discounted tariff is only for India, underlining Afghanistan's determination to reroute commerce away from Pakistan and make it dependent on the direct link with the Indian markets.
In the past few months, Afghanistan has increased trade via Iran's Chabahar port, which is under Indian development, and has expanded its network of air freight flights. During his India visit last month, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi declared new cargo flights for Delhi, Amritsar, Kabul and Kandahar.
To this effect, his ringing endorsement of the project in Chabahar underlined Kabul's wider policy as a diversify trade routes, lessen dependence on Pakistan in ways that, with every passing day, becomes increasingly politically and militarily hostile.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information and aims to present an independent editorial analysis without endorsing any political position.
