By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan will not grant Afghanistan transit facilities to import oil from India, an official said here Saturday after two days of trade talks between the two countries.
During the talks, Islamabad took the line that it could not grant transit facilities as Pakistan-India trade had been suspended, Online news agency reported.
Pakistan and Afghanistan had May 7 signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington to begin talks on a transit trade agreement and to conclude this by Dec 31.
The smuggling of goods between Pakistan and Afghanistan was another factor in Islamabad refusing transit facilities, sources said.
During the talks, Pakistan asked Afghanistan to devise a strategy to stop this smuggling before the next round of talks to be held Oct 15 in Kabul.