KAUSER NEWS AGENCY | October 15, 2026 | Afghanistan and Pakistan
The war-related disruption of Gulf shipping is adding economic pressure to Afghanistan and Pakistan as the two countries face their own border-security disputes.
Afghanistan’s vulnerable supply routes
Associated Press reported earlier this year that Afghanistan-bound imports were disrupted by border closures with Pakistan and by problems using Iran’s Bandar Abbas port near the Strait of Hormuz. Humanitarian agencies reported higher transport costs and delays. These problems threaten the availability and affordability of food, fuel and medical supplies.
Pakistan’s overlapping pressures
Pakistan faces possible increases in energy import costs and disruption to Gulf trade. Research by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics describes significant potential costs to exports and the energy import bill under prolonged shipping disruption. At the same time, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain in dispute over cross-border militant activity. Islamabad accuses militants of operating from Afghan territory; Afghan Taliban officials reject the accusations.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Recent reporting describes security clashes along the border and political unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Those tensions are independently significant; available evidence does not establish that the Middle East conflict caused them.
KNA analysis
Afghanistan’s exposure is concentrated in import routes, fuel and humanitarian supplies. Pakistan’s exposure includes energy imports, Gulf trade, and diplomatic pressure from regional relationships. Further investigation should track actual local prices and customs data rather than infer precise impacts from regional events alone.
Sources: Associated Press reporting on Afghan trade; PIDE analysis; Associated Press, October 12; World Bank.
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