1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 22
Summary
Ghulam Mustafa’s mango trucks turned back from the Pakistan-Iran border after the US-Iran cease-fire collapsed, leaving export boxes to spoil before reaching Iranian buyers.
Karachi business owners say the failed truce has frozen trade with a major neighboring market, dashing hopes for lower fuel costs and steadier cross-border commerce.
Pakistan’s vulnerability is acute because the 250 million-person economy already cannot formally trade with India or Afghanistan, while investment from China is down nearly 30% this year.
That leaves peace in Iran carrying outsized economic importance for Pakistan, which remains heavily reliant on foreign lenders including China and Saudi Arabia.