Afghan Acting Commerce Minister urges expanded use of Chabahar port, says Govt considering five-year tax exemption for arriving industries

“We request the Indian government to help ensure the trade route from Chabahar Port is functional, so that the trade remains competitive,” Afghanistan’s Acting Commerce and Industries Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi said Friday (November 21, 2025) Representing a business delegation at an event of the industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce Industry (PHDCCI), he also called upon the Indian private sector to make further investments in the route to ensure its worthy prospects.

The use of Chabahar port in Iran is emerging an imperative for the landlocked country to circumvent the use of routes through Pakistan following tensions between the two nations in the recent months.

Mr. Azizi also called upon the Indian private sector to invest in Afghanistan. He mentioned his government was considering to accord a five-year exemption from paying taxes to new industries being set up in Afghanistan. He stated the government in Kabul was already giving preferential treatment in tariffs for raw materials and machinery relevant to their domestic industries.

Expanding use of Chabahar port

Mentioning about the Chabahar Port, Mr. Azizi said the Afghan government was open to negotiations with U.S. to ensure continued operationality.

Late in October, New Delhi received a waiver on the U.S.’ sanctions against Iran’s Chabahar port for a period of six months. Mr. Azizi stated the temporary exemptions would not translate to “any real reduction” in costs.

“U.S. have frozen our $9 billion and they are not returning. Pakistan forced us to close border, and U.S. points to an alternate route we discovered being under sanctions, for how long should we suffer?” he stated. For context, following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, U.S. froze $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank in its attempts to avert the regime from accessing the money.

Air freight corridor operational

Speaking at the same event, M. Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary (PAI) at the India’s Ministry of External Affairs informed that air freight corridor between Kabul and Delhi and between Kabul and Amritsar have been “activated” with cargo flights expected to commence “very soon”.

“This will significantly enhance air connectivity and further strengthen our trade and commercial flights,” he said.