A high-level meeting took place in Tashkent between Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Pakistan’s Armed Forces. The meeting was reported on the official website of the Uzbek President.
The two sides held a strategic dialogue, discussing current issues of military-technical cooperation, joint efforts to counter transnational threats, and the prospects for implementing major trans-regional infrastructure projects.
A key focus of the talks was the implementation of a trilateral agreement on the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway, linking Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. This project is seen as a strategically vital transit corridor with the potential to fundamentally transform the region’s logistics landscape.
The planned route will run from Termez in Uzbekistan through Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul in Afghanistan to Peshawar in Pakistan, where it will connect to South Asia’s rail network. The total length of the railway is expected to exceed 600 kilometers, with the project estimated to cost $4–5 billion.
Once completed, the railway will provide Central Asia with direct overland access to the Arabian Sea ports of Karachi and Gwadar, cutting cargo delivery times and logistics costs by nearly half. The project is also viewed as a significant factor for the economic stabilization of Afghanistan by integrating the country into major international transport corridors.
The leaders also discussed prospects for deepening military cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan, including experience sharing, personnel training, joint exercises, and combating extremism, terrorism, and cyber threats.
The Trans-Afghan Railway is one of Uzbekistan’s priority infrastructure initiatives, aimed at strengthening regional integration and establishing multi-vector transport routes across Eurasia.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 20, 2025