Analyst Hails Agreement on Uzbek-Afghan-Pak Railway Project

Islamabad: The signing of the Framework Agreement on the Joint Feasibility Study for the Uzbek-Afghan-Pak Railway project is a significant development in respect of global connectivity and regional trade and will prove beneficial for Pakistan. However, based on the policies of the incumbent Taliban government, it is difficult to materialize this project in the near future. It is necessary to keep this project alive and continue discussions so that opportunities for funding from international consortiums can be pursued when they arise.

According to Radio Pakistan, other topics discussed by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar with his Afghan counterpart are crucial, particularly cross-border terrorism, the repatriation of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan, and the promotion of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The discussions also included facilitating each other’s trade to allow Pakistani truckers to reach beyond Afghanistan into Central Asia. The Central Asian region offers an excellent road and rail network extending to Russia and Europe, which could provide Pakistani truckers with easy access to Europe through the road network once connected.