Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will be leaving for Kabul on a day-long visit for the signing of Framework Agreement on Joint Feasibility Study of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Project, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday.
“The UAP Railway Project aims to build a rail link to connect Uzbekistan with Pakistan via Afghanistan and facilitate access to Pakistani seaports for Central Asian states,” read the FO’s statement.
“By facilitating regional trade and transit, the project is expected to promote regional stability, growth and development,” it added.
Accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising minister for railways, special representative for Afghanistan, and secretary, FM Dar’s visit underscores the importance Islamabad attaches to the successful realisation of the UAP Railway Project.
According to the foreign ministry, the signing of the Framework Agreement on Joint Feasibility Study between the three participating countries in Kabul will be an important step towards its implementation.
During the visit, the foreign minister will also hold meeting with the Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister and will call on acting prime minister to discuss bilateral matters and exchange views on regional and international developments.
It is pertinent to know that Pakistan, back in May, had announced to upgrade its Chargé d’Affaires in Afghanistan to the level of an ambassador amid improving ties with the neighbouring country.
Earlier this month, Islamabad and Kabul, during the inaugural round of the additional secretary-level mechanism between the foreign ministries of two countries, agreed on two-sided efforts to further strengthen the legal movement of individuals across borders.
The two countries discussed key areas of bilateral interest, including trade and transit cooperation, security, and connectivity and recognised terrorism as a serious threat to regional peace and security.
