Afghanistan bumps up coal prices once more ahead of Pakistani delegation's visit

• Taliban-led government in Afghanistan increases price of imported coal two days before Pakistani delegation's visit.
  
• Taliban govt first raised the price of imported coal from $90 to $200 per ton and now to $280 per ton.
• PM Shehbaz Sharif had said that coal from Afghanistan will be traded in rupees rather than dollars.

Ahead of a Pakistani trade delegation's visit to Kabul, the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has raised the price of imported coal yet again, Geo News reported.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently announced the import of coal from Afghanistan for power generation, claiming that it will save the country approximately $2 billion. He said that the coal from Afghanistan will be priced in rupees rather than dollars.

Following the announcement by the prime minister, the Taliban government raised the price of imported coal from $90 per ton to $200 per ton.

According to Afghan media reports, the Taliban government has raised the price of coal yet again, this time by $80 per ton.

According to Ismatullah Burhan, spokesperson for Afghanistan's Ministry of Minerals and Petroleum, the new price of coal will be $280 per ton, with immediate effect.

According to the spokesperson, the price of coal is constantly rising in the global market, so the price was raised. Everyday, 10,000 tons of coal are exported to Pakistan, he said, earning the country millions.

According to Afghan media, Pakistan's trade delegation will visit Kabul from July 18 to 20, where they will discuss bilateral trade and coal imports.

It should be noted that the Taliban government raised the price of coal two days before the Pakistani delegation's visit.