ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is ready to open the Badini border crossing with Afghanistan once the Balochistan government improves the road infrastructure leading to the site, the Special Secretary of the Interior Ministry informed a parliamentary committee on Monday.
Badini provides the shortest route for vehicles travelling from Karachi and Punjab to Afghanistan’s Ghazni province and Kabul.
The crossing, inaugurated in September 2020, has remained non-functional due to poor road conditions, lack of basic amenities, and limited support from the Afghan side.
The matter came under discussion during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce.
The commerce secretary told the committee that the Interior Ministry had cleared the opening of the border and that the ministry was now awaiting a response from the Foreign Office. He added that the Customs Department required three months to make arrangements, while the FIA’s readiness report had already been submitted.
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The special secretary noted that the main road connecting to the Badini border lies about 130 kilometres away, which currently makes it difficult to fully operationalise the crossing.
Committee Chairperson Anusha Rahman asked whether development work on the Afghan side of the border had been completed.
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Responding to the query, the special secretary reiterated that Pakistan was fully prepared to open the crossing, urging the Balochistan government to expedite road improvements so that the FIA could be deployed at the site.
Earlier, members of the Senate Standing Committee had criticised the Commerce Ministry for its inaction and lack of preparedness regarding the opening of the Badini crossing and delays in issuing a revised notification for barter trade with Iran.
The committee stressed the need to streamline procedures, appoint focal persons, and align practices with successful international trade models. It also directed authorities to review policies for reciprocal establishment of chambers of commerce, ensure embassy-based verification instead of NOCs, and engage trade officers abroad to lobby for Pakistan’s business interests.