Uzbek president highlights active role in Trans-Afghan Railway project; Khalilzad urges Pakistan’s support

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said that Uzbekistan is playing an active role in advancing the Trans-Afghan Railway project, a major regional infrastructure initiative aimed at connecting Central Asia with South Asian markets through Afghanistan.

Speaking at the Fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum, Mirziyoyev said the project would provide Central Asian countries with access to southern seaports and strengthen regional transport and trade connectivity.

The Trans-Afghan Railway is expected to connect Central Asia with Pakistan’s seaports via Afghanistan, offering landlocked countries in the region a shorter route to global markets. In 2025, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a trilateral agreement in Kabul to conduct a feasibility study for the railway.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad welcomed Mirziyoyev’s support for the project, describing it as an important step toward linking Central Asia and Afghanistan with South Asia, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

In a post on X, Khalilzad said the successful implementation of the railway could contribute to greater prosperity and stability in Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He identified strained relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan as a major obstacle to the project’s realization.

Khalilzad argued that the economic and transit benefits of the corridor should encourage both countries to resolve their differences through diplomatic engagement and negotiated agreements. He added that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has expressed interest in the project and called on Pakistan’s military leadership to respond in kind.

“Both should think of the positive future than can lie ahead, instead of repeating past mistakes,” he said.