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Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan advance plans for strategic trade corridor
The discussions centered on identifying practical measures to improve cargo movement, remove trade barriers, and streamline cross-border logistics.
Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing regional connectivity through the development of a trilateral transport corridor aimed at boosting cargo flow and trade between Central and South Asia.
Transport authorities from the three countries convened for a virtual meeting to review and finalize a draft Joint Action Plan focused on advancing the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan corridor.
The meeting was convened under Uzbekistan’s Presidential Decree which calls for the continued development of the nation’s transport and logistics systems.
According to a statement reported by Trend, the discussions centered on identifying practical measures to improve cargo movement, remove trade barriers, and streamline cross-border logistics.
The three parties agreed to finalize the plan and begin the required domestic procedures to prepare it for signing.
The initiative is seen as a crucial move toward strengthening trade and economic cooperation across the region. It complements earlier efforts to establish a multi-nation railway project, the Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar route, which was first formalized in a trilateral agreement in February 2021.
With an estimated cost of $5 billion, the railway corridor is expected to have a transit capacity of up to 20 million tons of cargo annually. Once completed, it will provide a vital overland trade route linking Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and the broader Southeast Asian region.
Officials from all three countries view the corridor as a game-changing infrastructure project that will not only increase regional trade but also improve geopolitical connectivity and economic integration in a historically underlinked region.
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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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