Pakistan, Afghanistan to Enhance Cooperation on UAP Railway Project

Islamabad: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to expedite the framework for the Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway project aimed at boosting regional connectivity. This decision was reached during the inaugural round of the Additional Secretary-Level Mechanism between the Foreign Ministries of Pakistan and Afghanistan, held in Islamabad. The meeting is a follow-up to the visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Kabul earlier in April.

According to Radio Pakistan, the meeting assessed the implementation status of measures announced during the visit to facilitate Afghan transit trade and discussed key areas of bilateral interest, such as trade and transit cooperation, security, and connectivity. Both countries acknowledged terrorism as a significant threat to regional peace and security. The Pakistani delegation emphasized the need for concrete actions against terrorist groups operating on Afghan soil, highlighting that these groups pose a threat to Pakistan’s security and hinder regional development.

The discussions underscored the importance of enhanced regional connectivity as a means to achieve sustainable growth and shared prosperity. Matters concerning the repatriation of Afghan nationals were also addressed during the meeting. The Pakistani side shared its initiatives to facilitate documented travel from Afghanistan, including the issuance of over 500,000 visas since January last year across various categories such as medical, tourist, business, and study.

The two nations agreed to collaborate on strengthening the legal movement of individuals across borders. They reaffirmed their commitment to sustained engagement in addressing mutual challenges and recognized that lasting security is crucial for the development and advancement of bilateral relations between the two countries.