Afghan Commerce Minister Azizi Invites Indian Investors, Seeks Stronger Trade Ties and Sanctions Waiver for Chabahar

Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi, used his address at the PHD Chamber of Commerce in New Delhi to make a strong pitch for deeper India–Afghanistan economic ties, inviting Indian businesses to invest across sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals and agriculture to mining, textiles and energy. He also urged New Delhi’s support for a sanctions waiver on the Chabahar trade route, calling it essential for Afghanistan’s economic survival.

Azizi began his remarks by thanking the Indian government for its consistent support during a period he described as one of the most difficult in Afghanistan’s recent history. Recalling his first interactions with Indian officials during meetings in Moscow and subsequent multilateral platforms, he said India’s humanitarian and logistical assistance stood out at a time when Afghanistan’s reserves worth $9.8 billion remained frozen in the United States. “In that tough time, we noted that the Indian government provided full support, including wheat shipments directly to Afghanistan. It showed their brotherhood, their respect and their love,” he said.

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Highlighting what he called a “new enabling environment” for investment, Azizi invited Indian industrialists, traders and entrepreneurs to explore vast opportunities in western Afghanistan and beyond. He emphasized ready potential in mining, agricultural processing, pharmaceuticals, textiles and energy, saying that Afghan authorities had put in place simplified frameworks to attract foreign capital. He noted that the government was preparing a five-year tax-free incentive scheme for new industries across the country, extending a policy currently offered to returning Afghan refugees.

The minister stressed that Afghanistan’s import-heavy economy presents openings for Indian businesses. He pointed to sizeable demand in sectors such as rice—currently sourced primarily from Pakistan and India—and textiles, where Afghanistan imports goods worth over $500 million annually despite having abundant raw cotton. “We need the Indian private sector to focus on these areas, both for export to Afghanistan and for investment inside the country,” he said.

Azizi also urged Indian companies that previously exited Afghanistan’s energy and industrial sectors to return, assuring them of stability and government backing. “We request those companies to come back. The environment is now enabling for them to work and expand,” he said.

Addressing bilateral cultural ties, the minister appealed to Indian Sikh and Hindu communities to maintain active engagement with Afghan minorities and to encourage visits aimed at strengthening people-to-people links.

Towards the end of his speech, Azizi criticized international restrictions that hinder Afghanistan’s trade routes. With the Pakistan border shut and U.S. sanctions complicating new transit alternatives, he said a sanctions waiver for operations through Iran’s Chabahar Port was crucial. “Whenever we discover a new path through Chabahar, sanctions are imposed. There should be a waiver,” he asserted.

The minister concluded with a call for India and Afghanistan to “rebuild together,” signalling Kabul’s intent to place India at the centre of its economic recovery efforts.