Pakistan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan Plan New Railway Line

On July 20, government representatives from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan gathered in Aktau, Kazakhstan, to discuss the construction of a new railway line running from the Turkmenistan border through Afghanistan to Pakistan via Turgundi—Herat—Kandahar—Spin Buldak, The joint implementation of the project was proposed by head of the Agency for Transport and Communications of Turkmenistan, Mammetkhan Chakyev, who also announced that Turkmenistan and the Afghan side had already agreed to create a logistics centre in Turgundi, a border town in northern Herat Province of Afghanistan. Construction is due to commence shortly and once in operation, will provide facilities for the transhipment of grain, rail containers, and other cargo. Kazakhstan's invitation to participate in the project rests on its production of high-quality railway tracks and as stated by Chakyev, “Turgundi-Herat is not only the construction of a railway but also the further development of freight traffic and the attraction of goods in this direction. With the participation of the Kazakh side, we can significantly increase the attractiveness of this corridor." Afghan representatives stating their readiness to forward the transport of goods from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Pakistan, highlighted the effectiveness of the route for all concerned as well as the benefits it afforded to importing Chinese goods through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin announced his support for Turkmenistan's proposal for the joint construction of the new railway route and its provision of a western corridor from Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.

Investments Afghanistan Economy Pakistan

Pakistan Can Become a Transport Hub for Central Asian Countries

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif has chosen Tajikistan for his first foreign visit after being re-elected as the head of government. On July 2, he will hold talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe, before traveling with him to the SCO summit in Astana. The head of Tajikistan and Sharif are expected to discuss the implementation of agreements reached during Rahmon's visit to Pakistan two years ago. Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, is interested in speeding up the start of the CASA-1000 energy project and expanding cooperation in transport and security. In exchange, Tajikistan is seeking access to Pakistan’s ports of Karachi and Gwadar. In December 2022, Rahmon visited Islamabad, where eight documents were signed at the end of negotiations with Sharif. “The fact is that Tajikistan’s intelligence services have historically not had warm relations with Pakistan, whose intelligence services have supported various militant groups in Afghanistan. But times are changing. In addition, it should be noted that today, Pakistan is closely cooperating with China economically and politically in the same way that active cooperation between China and Dushanbe is taking place,” said Alexander Vorobyov, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and head of the Center for Public Diplomacy and World Policy Analysis. According to Vorobyov, improving relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, whose authorities are actively promoting a project to create the Trans-Afghan railway “Termez–Mazar-i–Sharif–Kabul—Peshawar,” will help improve Tajikistan’s transport connectivity with the outside world and offer the possibility of access to South Asia. The shortest route from Tajikistan to the sea passes through Afghanistan to Pakistan. It is approximately 2,720 kilometers from Dushanbe to Karachi or Gwadar, whilst it is 3,400 kilometers to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz. Tajikistan is separated from Pakistan by the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of territory in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. This corridor is about 350 kilometers long. Experts believe that if Afghanistan's stability and security can be ensured, then Pakistan can become a transport hub for the countries of Central Asia. Pakistan's interest in Central Asian meanwhile, lies in energy resources, of which it is desperately short. To access them, the Pakistani government is promoting several major transit projects in the region that will open access to global markets and trade opportunities for the region's countries. However, as Hina Rabbani Khar, who served as Pakistan's deputy foreign minister in February 2023, said, the situation in Afghanistan is preventing Pakistan from realizing its potential in relations with Central Asia. In particular, the Central Asia-South Asia-1000 (CASA-1000) project to transmit electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan still needs to be completed. The World Bank stopped financing the project after the Taliban came to power. Following an appeal by the project's participants, implementation of CASA-1000 was resumed in May 2024 with the financial support of the World Bank. In recent years, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have required additional kilowatts, so the completion date of the construction still...

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Mass Brawl Between Citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh Reported in Bishkek

Bishkek police have detained 36 foreigners after a mass brawl, as reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic. According to law enforcement, on June 11th, a mass brawl was reported between Pakistani and Bangladeshi citizens after a verbal altercation, following which participants involved in the scuffle were taken to a police station to clarify the incident's circumstances. Administrative protocols were drawn up for 16 foreigners who violated the rules of residence in Kyrgyzstan. One of the participants in the brawl was found guilty under the article “Petty Hooliganism.” The court fined him 5,500 KGS ($60). Two more people were arrested for three days for being in a state of alcoholic intoxication. TCA previously reported that on May 17th, riots occurred in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, provoked by a conflict between residents and medical students from abroad. Since these tragic events, the authorities have been employing a dual approach of attempting to sooth relations abroad whilst conducting raids on places where foreigners reside.

European Union Energy Transport Oil & Gas Export/import Economy Pakistan

Turkmen Gas to Europe Mooted Again

Turkmenistan and Pakistan intend to independently finance the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) to transport Turkmen gas to Europe, according to a statement made by Pakistani Minister, Musadiq Malik, who said the decision was driven by the international community's reluctance to recognize the Afghan government, which has stalled foreign funding. "Turkmenistan, rich in gas reserves and currently only selling to China, has considered exporting its gas to Europe via an LNG train," Malik was quoted as saying by the Profit portal. The minister also talked about the idea of exporting Turkmen gas to the EU via Pakistan. According to this plan, the gas would be piped to Pakistan, and then transported to Europe by rail. According to previous agreements, the $10 billion TAPI gas pipeline project was to be 30% financed ($3 billion) by the participants, and 70% ($7 billion) by loans from international financial institutions. Of the 30% to be allocated by the participating countries, 85% ($2.55 billion) was from to Turkmenistan, and the other 5% ($150 million each) from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Transport Central Asia China Afghanistan Transit Pakistan

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor may be expanded to Afghanistan

KABUL (TCA) — China has reportedly looked into the possibility of expanding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to war-ravaged Afghanistan, Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported. Continue reading

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Peace talks with Afghan Taliban and its implications for Pakistan

KABUL (TCA) — Islamabad is interested in establishing peace in neighboring Afghanistan, as it would bring in dividends to Pakistan’s economy. We are republishing the following article on the issue, written by Farhan Zahid: Continue reading