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Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan sign Trans-Afghan Railway Project feasibility study agreement
The route is expected to cut transport time from Central Asia to Pakistani ports from several weeks to just a few days, offering a faster and more cost-effective alternative for regional trade.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan have taken a major step toward regional connectivity by signing an agreement to begin the feasibility study for the long-anticipated Trans-Afghan Railway project.
The agreement was signed in the presence of the foreign ministers of the three countries. The signatories included Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Railways.
According to a statement issued Thursday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the deal marks a significant milestone in trilateral efforts to develop a strategic rail corridor linking Central and South Asia.
The Trans-Afghan Railway project, first proposed in 2018, aims to connect Termez in Uzbekistan to Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul in Afghanistan and on to Peshawar in Pakistan.
Once completed, the railway would span over 700 kilometers across Afghanistan, creating a direct land route between Central Asia and the Arabian Sea.
The route is expected to cut transport time from Central Asia to Pakistani ports from several weeks to just a few days, offering a faster and more cost-effective alternative for regional trade.
It also has the potential to open new markets for Afghan exports and generate much-needed transit revenues for the country.
The railway project has garnered support from regional and international partners, including Russia, Iran, and international financial institutions. However, funding gaps, and ongoing political complexities in Afghanistan have slowed progress.
Despite these challenges, the trilateral agreement to carry out a feasibility study reflects renewed momentum and political will to move the project forward under the current administration of the Islamic Emirate.
Afghan officials welcomed the agreement as a vital step toward regional economic integration. “This project is not only important for Afghanistan but also a bridge for trade and cooperation between Central and South Asia,” said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Officials emphasized that improved regional infrastructure would contribute to economic stability and foster long-term development in Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan says Pakistani military post destroyed near Spin Boldak
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says a Pakistani military post near Spin Boldak was targeted and destroyed after Pakistani forces opened fire toward Afghanistan.
Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said in a post on X that Afghan forces suffered no casualties or damage in the clash.
Khwarazmi also rejected claims made by the Pakistani side about the incident, describing them as “propaganda.”
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Mujahid: Pakistan attacking Afghanistan to evade Mecca Pact responsibilities
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of carrying out attacks on Afghanistan to divert attention from its domestic problems and to evade responsibilities under the “Mecca Pact.”
Speaking at a religious seminary in Kandahar, Mujahid said Pakistan was facing political and economic challenges at home and was using attacks on Afghanistan to shift public attention away from protests and its internal problems.
“Pakistan, by violating the territory of its neighboring Islamic country, wants to divert attention from its failures,” he said.
Mujahid also criticized Pakistan’s political situation, claiming that political space had been restricted and that freedoms guaranteed under the country’s laws were not being allowed.
He said Pakistan’s economic problems had also increased significantly and accused the country of seeking to distract the public from those problems by engaging in conflict with Afghanistan.
Mujahid further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of putting the Pakistani people at risk through what he described as its “false position.”
He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”
His remarks followed Pakistani airstrikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Thursday, which Afghan authorities said killed four civilians.
The strikes came three days after attacks on Kunar and Paktika provinces, in which Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed.
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Kabul rejects U.S. claim that meth seized in Pakistan was of Afghan origin
Balkhi said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi has rejected a U.S. claim that 463 kilograms of synthetic drugs seized in Pakistan were of Afghan origin, calling the attribution “unfounded and politically motivated.”
Balkhi said the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad should investigate the origin of the seized drugs in Pakistan rather than attributing them to Afghanistan.
“The attribution by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad of the synthetic drugs bound for Sri Lanka and intercepted in Pakistan through joint U.S.-Pakistani efforts as ‘Afghan-origin’ is an unfounded and politically motivated allegation,” Balkhi said.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.
Balkhi also claimed that following the ban in Afghanistan, the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics have increased “on the other side of the Durand Line.”
He further argued that Afghanistan does not have the capacity to produce synthetic drugs and said crossing points along the Durand Line have been completely closed to all movement for nearly a year.
His remarks came after the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said U.S. and Pakistani anti-narcotics authorities had seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $21 million and bound for Sri Lanka.
The embassy said the operation led to multiple arrests and highlighted ongoing U.S. cooperation and training with Pakistani authorities to disrupt international drug-trafficking networks.
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