The Taliban Ministry of Finance has warned that the customs clearance of Pakistani medicines will be completely halted at all border crossings from February 9, when a previously announced three-month deadline expires.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry urged traders and importers to complete all transactions and customs documentation for Pakistani medicines within the remaining 19 days.
The Taliban first announced the ban amid rising tensions and clashes with Pakistan. In November 2025, Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, called on traders to finalise customs procedures within a three-month grace period.
Taliban officials said that once the deadline expires, medicines imported from Pakistan will no longer be processed by customs authorities.
The Taliban have claimed that millions of dollars are spent each year on what they describe as “low-quality” Pakistani medicines. Following the directive, the Taliban’s minister of industry and commerce travelled to Iran and India, with officials saying the administration plans to increase imports of Indian medicines, including through air corridors.
Earlier, on December 2, 2025, Noor-ul-Haq Anwar, head of the Taliban’s Administrative Affairs Directorate, said that more than 70 percent of medicines had previously been imported from Pakistan. He added that medicine shortages have been felt across Afghanistan since the closure of border crossings with Pakistan.
