Islamabad:
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan on Thursday signed a trilateral agreement involving a key track project aimed at connecting the three countries.
The framework agreement on the joint feasibility study for Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway project was signed in Kabul.
The agreement was signed between Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works, Uzbekistan Ministry of Transport and Pakistan Ministry of Railways.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and their Uzbek counterpart Baxtiyor Saidov witnessed the signing ceremony.
The UAP Railway Project aims to build a railway link to connect Uzbekistan with Pakistan via Afghanistan and facilitate access to Pakistani ports for Central Asian states, read a statement issued here by the Foreign Office.
“By facilitating regional trade and transit, the project is expected to promote regional stability, growth and development,” it added.
The statement said that DAR’s visit emphasized the importance of Pakistan associated with the successful realization of the UAP Railway project. The signing of the framework agreement on joint feasibility study between the three participating countries in Kabul was an important step towards its implementation.
The proposed 640 km (398 miles) railway line aims to connect the Uzbek border town of Termez with Hairatan on the Afghan side that extends to the eastern city of Logar via Kabul before entering Pakistan’s border Kurram via Kharlachi.
Previously, DAR attended a trilateral meeting in Kabul prior to the signing of the framework agreement on the joint feasibility study for Uzbek-AFGHAN-PAK (UAP) Railway project.
The meeting confirmed strong ties and a common commitment to peace, connection, trade and regional development. The three sides emphasized the importance of sustained cooperation to unlock the region’s financial potential and ensure long -term prosperity for their people.
On the sidelines, DAR held a number of meetings with the Afghan Taliban leadership, including preliminary Afghan Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund, who served Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.
This was Dar’s second visit to Kabul in three months, which highlighted increased exchanges between the two countries.
During the meeting with the Afghan temporary prime minister, DAR exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, including peace and security, trade and transit cooperation and regional connection.
When they remembered their previous meeting on April 19, 2025, they confirmed the obligation to continued commitment and agreed to maintain high -level contacts to promote bilateral connections.
The Foreign Minister also met Sirajuddin Haqqani, acting Interior Minister in Afghanistan and held in -depth discussions on security issues and confirmed the importance of exterminating the threats to regional countries.
DAR emphasized the importance of tackling all issues of concern, especially security and border management, in order to exploit the full potential of economic cooperation and regional connection.
