Afghanistan’s Taliban government urged India on Thursday to expand trade links and open cargo hubs in Afghan territory, as Kabul seeks alternatives to Pakistan after repeated border clashes and closures that have disrupted its main transit route.

Commerce Minister Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi pressed India to scale up cooperation during talks in New Delhi, where he asked for scheduled shipping services to move Afghan goods through Iran’s Chabahar Port, which India operates.

Landlocked Afghanistan has diverted more goods to Iran and Central Asia in recent months as armed flare-ups forced the shutdown of key crossings with Pakistan.

Pitch for investment and dry ports

Azizi met with India’s Minister of State for Commerce, Jitin Prasada, and discussed investment opportunities, joint ventures and ways to expand market access for Afghan exporters, the Afghan commerce ministry said.

He also proposed that India develop dry ports in Afghanistan’s southwestern Nimroz province, bordering Iran, and streamline cargo processing at India’s largest container facility, Nhava Sheva near Mumbai.

Afghan officials told Reuters last week that trade flows through Iran and Central Asia have outpaced shipments through Pakistan as repeated closures block the traditional corridor.

Visas and new sectors

Azizi urged India to speed up visas for Afghan traders and proposed collaboration in pharmaceuticals, cold storage, fruit processing, industrial parks and SME development, the ministry said.

Prasada said on X that the discussions reflected a shared commitment to strengthening bilateral trade. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he reviewed ways to expand trade and connectivity and reiterated New Delhi’s support for Afghanistan’s development.