That containerized cargo is the economic life-blood of Afghanistan, which is landlocked and dependent on Pakistan’s ports. The reality is that Pakistan’s border is porous to terrorists, but not to containerized cargo. So Pakistan is not closing the border to stop terrorism, but rather to put economic pressure on Afghanistan through trade sanctions by another name. In 2010, at the height of NATO involvement in Afghanistan, NATO depended on Pakistani routes for about 70% of its requirements. But Pakistan would prefer Afghanistan to be an economic and diplomatic dependency -- strategic depth for its conflict with India.

Source: Forbes March 07, 2017 22:41 UTC