ISLAMABAD: In a bold bid to reshape the geopolitics of Central and South Asia, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi dialled in a high-stakes phone call on Sunday to push forward the game-changing Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line project.
The proposed 573-kilometer rail link, stretching from Tashkent through Kabul to Peshawar and connecting to Gwadar and Karachi ports, carries a projected cost of $4.8 billion. It is poised to serve as a vital artery linking Central Asia’s landlocked economies to international markets, potentially turbo charging economic ties and fostering deeper regional connectivity.
According to a statement from Foreign Office, the two ministers agreed on the urgency of finalizing the framework agreement swiftly for the UAP Railway project, reflecting a shared commitment to cementing this infrastructure vision. The dialogue follows Dar’s recent conversation with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich to coordinate final details for the project’s forthcoming signing ceremony.
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Beyond infrastructure, the phone call underscored a parallel diplomatic thaw. Afghanistan’s Amir Khan Muttaqi welcomed Pakistan’s recent move to elevate its diplomatic mission in Kabul from chargé d’affaires to ambassador level – a gesture Kabul has pledged to reciprocate by upgrading its envoy in Islamabad.
Both countries have been maintaining embassies headed by chargés d’affaires, a reflection of strained ties over decades marked by mistrust and conflict.
“This is a very positive development,” Muttaqi said, framing the diplomatic upgrade as a milestone in the “brotherly countries’” evolving relationship. The mutual embassies’ upgrade follows similar steps by China, the first nation to accept an ambassador from the Taliban-led government, and the UAE, signalling a cautious but tangible international shift towards engagement with Afghanistan’s new regime.
Both the ministers also reviewed progress on a slate of agreements from Dar’s April visit to Kabul, reaffirming their commitment to fostering mutual trust and cooperation in a region historically fraught with geopolitical volatility.
As Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan move forward with this massive rail project and diplomatic rapprochement, the moves may herald a new chapter of connectivity and stability in a part of the world long challenged by division and uncertainty.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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