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Uzbekistan, Pakistan advance Trans-Afghan railway project
The two sides also agreed to adopt a new format for regular commission meetings to improve coordination and accelerate joint projects.
Uzbekistan and Pakistan have agreed to begin fieldwork on the long-planned Trans-Afghan railway project, a key regional connectivity initiative aimed at linking Central and South Asia, according to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade.
The agreement was reached during the 10th session of the Pakistan–Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, co-chaired by Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, Laziz Kudratov.
The two sides also agreed to adopt a new format for regular commission meetings to improve coordination and accelerate joint projects.
The railway is seen as a strategic project for landlocked Central Asian states seeking access to global markets, while also offering Pakistan expanded trade routes into Central Asia.
Afghanistan’s role as a transit country places it at the centre of the initiative, with the project expected to generate transit revenue, jobs and infrastructure development.
Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a framework agreement on July 17, 2025, to prepare a feasibility study for the railway. The planned 647-kilometre line will follow the Termez–Naibabad–Maidanshahr–Logar–Kharlachi route, linking Uzbekistan to Pakistan’s rail network and providing access to Karachi and other seaports.
The project’s preliminary cost is estimated at $4.6 billion, and its implementation will depend on financing, security conditions and sustained regional cooperation.
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Sajjad Haider Khan, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says there is no government decision to return all Afghan students from Pakistan.
Khan said Afghan students who are enrolled in valid degree programmes and hold valid visas can remain in Pakistan and complete their education.
He added that students who are not registered at a university or do not hold valid visas have been instructed to return to Afghanistan.
The Pakistani official said students studying in foreign countries are expected to have both valid enrollment and valid visas for the purpose of their stay, stressing that both are necessary.
This comes after the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council recently decided to expel Afghan medical students from the country and instructed universities not to enroll new students.
Naqibullah Ahmadi, Acting Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Malaysia, met on Thursday with Tan Sri Dato Johari bin Abdul, Speaker of Malaysia’s House of Representatives, to discuss bilateral relations.
According to a statement from the Afghan Embassy in Malaysia, the two sides discussed the Islamic Emirate’s foreign policy, Afghanistan’s engagement with regional countries and the international community, as well as the country’s security situation, economic developments and investment opportunities.
The two sides also discussed further expanding bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Malaysia, joint cooperation in various sectors, and facilitating the movement of government officials, businesspeople and tourists between the two countries.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met on Thursday with Sadin Ayyıldız, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, to discuss expanding economic, trade and transit relations between the two countries, as well as resolving problems faced by Afghan migrants in Türkiye.
According to a statement from the deputy PM’s office, Baradar expressed appreciation for the activities of Turkish companies that have invested in various sectors in Afghanistan and called on other Turkish investors to invest in the country as well.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs said the Islamic Emirate would provide the necessary facilities for Turkish investors.
Baradar also stressed the need to resolve the problems of Afghan migrants in Türkiye and provide them with greater assistance and facilities.
Meanwhile, Ayyıldız welcomed the increase in trade between Afghanistan and Türkiye and said his country was ready to further expand its relations with Afghanistan in transport, transit, health, education and other economic sectors.
The Turkish ambassador added that Türkiye would continue its cooperation in strengthening relations between Afghanistan and the international community and in presenting a realistic image of Afghanistan to the world.
He also said Türkiye had introduced facilities for issuing visas to Afghans and would seek to provide further facilitation in this area.
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