Afghanistan will open consulate in Hyderabad soon

 Afghanistan will soon open a consulate in Hyderabad which will be a step forward for expansion of ties between both the countries, Shaida Mohammad Abdali, ambassador for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to India,  said here on Friday.  He said he would meet Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday to discuss the project.

“We have asked for a sister city relationship between Jalalabad and Hyderabad. I am going to discuss this with the CM and sign agreements,” said Abdali.The ambassador also announced the ground work for an India-Afghanistan business summit.  “We will be holding a major business summit and Chabahar port will be the theme of it,” he said. Initially, Delhi was chosen to be the host city for the summit but the ambassador



was keen on holding it in  Hyderabad.

The Chabahar port built by India in Iran connects the land-locked Afghanistan to India through the Arabian sea. Pakistan had earlier this year blocked Afghanistan traders from doing business with India at the Wagah border.

Abdali said the Chabahar port deal was achieved after 13 years of negotiating between the countries involved. Countries like Poland and Japan have expressed their interest to invest in Central Asia due to this port, he added.

Speaking on Afghanistan’s trade route to India through Wagah border, he said, “We are not depending on routes that we can’t rely on.’’ He said Afghanistan wanted the route to function. “We want Pakistan to be a beneficiary in the port,” he added.