Senior officials from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan will meet in Tashkent next week to discuss a railway project to connect Termez, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul, and Peshawar in order to enhance regional trade.
Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Investment, has travelled for Uzbekistan to participate in trilateral meetings and represent Pakistan at the “Tashkent International Investment Forum.”
According to a BOI news statement, the chairman will also meet the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the margins of these meetings, as well as connect with potential investors from several nations as the head of the Pakistan delegation for B2B talks.
The Uzbek President is particularly interested in the construction of a railway track connecting Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan for future trade and business activity.
As a landlocked country, Uzbekistan relies on Iran’s economic channels for imports and exports, and the sanctions imposed on Iran have made it impossible for Uzbekistan to continue using the same route.
The proposed railway connection has also been debated in a number of international forums, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
During a visit to Pakistan earlier this month, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reiterated the importance of the railway project connecting the three countries for the region’s future.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan also agreed to design a shared ‘roadmap,’ which includes steps to conduct a feasibility study for the project and begin construction work on both sides.
The Trans-Afghan Railway project is the most cost-effective and time-efficient means to connect Central Asia with Pakistan’s ports of Karachi, Gwadar, and Port Qasim.
Azfar Ahsan will also be the keynote speaker at the inaugural session of the “Tashkent International Investment Forum,” which will be placed on March 24-26, 2022, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The theme of the forum will be “Realizing New Growth Agenda.” Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, will deliver the opening remarks during the event.
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