Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to advance Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan rail project, boost regional ties

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to move forward with the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) railway line project, a key step toward enhancing regional connectivity, the Pakistani Foreign Office said Sunday.

The agreement was reached during a phone call between Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Both leaders emphasized the importance of the project and committed to working closely to finalize the framework agreement soon.

The development follows Pakistan’s May 30 announcement to upgrade diplomatic relations with Kabul to the ambassador level, a move Afghanistan has agreed to reciprocate, according to the Foreign Office.

The UAP rail project aims to improve trade and transport links across Central and South Asia, fostering economic cooperation and stability in the region.

Both leaders also reviewed implementation of decisions taken during DPM/FM’s visit to Kabul on April 19 and vowed to continue working together to establish mutual trust between the two brotherly nations.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had come under stress after Islamabad accused Kabul of sheltering Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists.

Observers opine that the ties are apparently improving due to efforts of China, which is using a trilateral mechanism involving the foreign ministers of the three countries to sort out differences.

The railway project to link Pakistan with Central Asia through Afghanistan is an important project to improve interconnectivity in the region.

Dar’s interaction with Muttaqi comes a day after he held a telephone conversation with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich on Saturday.

“They discussed the modalities for early finalisation of the framework agreement for the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line Project, including details of its signing ceremony in consultation with leadership of Afghanistan,” the foreign office said.

With inputs from agencies