Recent meetings between officials from Tashkent, Kabul, and Islamabad have given fresh impetus to the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan (UAP) railway project, with Pakistan leading the way in coordinating final steps before construction.
The railway will provide a direct connection from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean and South Asia while enhancing the three countries’ positions in both north-south and east-west trade.
The lack of a standardized rail gauge for transnational connections, combined with ongoing security concerns, could further delay the project. Islamabad and Kabul, however, have made significant progress in reconciling their border security issues.
On June 3, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Railways, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi, and Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Ali Shir Takhtae,
reiterated their resolve to complete the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan (UAP) railway project during a meeting in Islamabad (Radio Pakistan, June 3). They also devised a joint strategy for beginning the railway’s construction in the near future. Abbasi declared, “Upon completion of this project, Pakistan will gain the shortest and most efficient route to Central Asia, which will not only increase trade volumes but also place the region’s economy on a more solid footing” (Dunya News, June 3).
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