Uzbekistan, Pakistan pledge to advance proposed railway link via Afghanistan
Uzbekistan and Pakistan agreed to establish a tripartite committee with Afghanistan to address issues that are hindering the implementation of a proposed railway project connecting the three countries.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reported the development after delegation-level talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Tashkent, emphasizing the need to coordinate joint efforts to advance the trans-Afghan railway link.
The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer (356-mile) railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistani seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.
'For the first time, we conducted comprehensive discussions [on the project],' Mirziyoyev said in remarks through his official interpreter broadcast live Wednesday on Pakistani state television.
He noted that both sides agreed to form a tripartite committee to evaluate opportunities and address project challenges. The Uzbek leader stated that it was also central to discussions his government recently hosted with officials from Afghanistan.
'Now, we will have the tripartite [committee] meeting on resolving the problems,' said Mirziyoyev without elaborating. 'We know that this [project] is our future,' he added, calling it crucial for regional trade and travel.
The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and subsequent Western financial sanctions on the country briefly deterred Uzbekistan and Pakistan from advancing discussions on the railway connectivity project.
Lately, Pakistan has accused the Taliban government, which is not recognized by any country, of harboring and facilitating militants responsible for terrorist attacks in the country. The ongoing violence has strained bilateral relations and prevented Islamabad from pursuing any meaningful economic partnership with Kabul, according to Pakistani officials.
The Taliban reject allegations that foreign militant groups operate on their territory, saying that no one is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten other countries.
Sharif, speaking alongside Mirziyoyev, reiterated concerns about cross-border terrorism, emphasizing that militant groups should not use Afghan soil to launch attacks against other nations, including Pakistan.
The Uzbek and Pakistani leaders announced Wednesday that they had also agreed to increase annual trade from more than $400 million to $2 billion and signed several agreements to deepen bilateral economic and trade ties.
The two sides stated that they had discussed enhancing collaboration in agricultural, pharmaceuticals, machinery, geology, mineral resources, textiles, leather and other industries by exporting finished products to third-country markets.
Islamabad and Tashkent also agreed to enhance air links with new flights planned between the largest Pakistani city of Karachi and the historic Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Bukhara.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Voice of America
14-03-2025
- Voice of America
Military says death toll in Pakistan's train hijacking rises to 31
Pakistan officials confirmed Friday that 31 people, including 23 security personnel, lost their lives in Tuesday's train hijacking by armed militants in the country's restive Balochistan province. In a news briefing, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said 18 off-duty military and paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel, three railway staff and five civilian passengers were among those killed in the initial attack. Five Frontier Corps personnel were also killed in the attack and the ensuing battle with militants. Separatist militants from Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a designated terror group, took over the Jaffar Express near Sibi hours after it left the provincial capital, Quetta, on Tuesday. In the clearance operation that lasted more than 30 hours, the Pakistan military said it killed 33 BLA terrorists. Chaudhry, director general of military public relations, said 354 passengers were freed, 37 of whom were injured. Officials also revised the tally of passengers on the train downward to 425 from 440. Speaking alongside Chaudhry, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said 425 tickets were sold for the cross-country train. However, passengers could board at any station along the roughly 1,600-kilometer route, which, Bugti said, largely explained the gap between the number of passengers and those rescued. 'Maybe some did not travel; some were boarding later, maybe some of those who ran [from the terrorists] lost their way, and maybe some got caught [by the terrorists],' the chief minister said. Blaming neighbors Tuesday's attack marked a dramatic escalation in the separatist insurgency that has seen a sharp increase in violence in recent months. In 2024, the BLA and other Baloch separatist groups killed nearly 400 people in over 500 attacks. Pakistani officials blamed archrival India, accusing it of providing support to anti-Pakistan militants in Afghanistan, a charge New Delhi quickly rejected. 'We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan,' Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters. Bugti and Chaudhry reiterated the claim that Tuesday's attack was orchestrated by militants with bases in Afghanistan, a charge Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi rejected Thursday. Intelligence failure? Pakistani officials acknowledged there was a security threat, but rejected questions that the brazen hijacking in the heavily militarized province was an intelligence failure. 'There was a threat in the general area,' said Chaudhry, adding that it was not specifically about an attack on the train. 'There are thousands of intelligence success stories too behind [such incidents], which you don't know — incidents that did not happen because our intelligence was successfully able to detect them,' he said. The military spokesperson said law enforcement agencies have conducted 11,654 intelligence-based operations across the country so far this year. Nearly 60,000 such operations were conducted nationwide last year, he said. Resource-rich Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and least-populated province, where members of the ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination and exploitation by the government in Islamabad. In the last 15 months, 1,250 terrorists from various groups have been killed in Pakistan, along with 563 security personnel, Chaudhry said.
Voice of America
14-03-2025
- Voice of America
VOA Uzbek: Human rights group urges Uzbekistan to uphold reforms
Uzbekistan "has made significant progress in eliminating widespread state-imposed forced labor," according to the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights. The group is urging the Uzbek government to implement its promised reforms and create an enabling environment for freedom of association and civil society, which play a key role in monitoring and reporting violations and abuses. Click here for the full story in Uzbek.
Voice of America
14-03-2025
- Voice of America
Author says ban on her book reflects Taliban's repression of women
When Naveeda Khoshbo published her book of political analysis in 2019, she received widespread praise and recognition. For many, "it was the first time that they were reading a book written by a young woman," she said. So, when she received a text message from a friend and fellow journalist in November 2024, telling her the Taliban had banned her book, she was shocked. Khoshbo, 33, said she can't figure out why the book, "Siyasi Jaj" or "Political Analysis," was banned, saying "it did not address any sensitive topics." Published by the Peace Publish Center in Kabul, her book covers political events and processes from 2001 to 2019. But last year it was included in a list circulated on social media of more than 400 books banned by the Taliban. The list covers a range of topics: democracy, the arts, literature, poetry, history, religion, governance, rights and freedoms. The Taliban's deputy minister for the Ministry of Information and Culture, Zia-ul Haq Haqmal, told media his department had identified 400 books deemed "against Afghanistan's national interest and Islamic values." 'Hostility is directed at women' Khoshbo believes her book also was banned because it was written by a woman. She is now based in London. "I believe their hostility is directed at women, and for them, the books written by women are the first to be targeted, regardless of their content," she said. About a dozen titles in the book ban are by women, or they were translated by women. Other titles include the book by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, "I am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education." The Taliban, who seized power in August 2021, have imposed strict measures against women in Afghanistan, barring them from education, work, long-distance travel and participating in public life. Afghan writer Nazeer Ahmad Sahaar told VOA the Taliban jettison anything they see as contrary to their ideology. "Anything that is against the Taliban's political and religious beliefs and narrative is banned under the Taliban," said Sahaar. The author has written more than a dozen books. One of those, "Waziristan: The Last Stand" is also on the list of banned publications. Sahaar sees the book ban as part of a larger crackdown on "women, the press and freedom of expression." Sahaar said the ban on books, though, is of little surprise. "It was evident that they would impose restrictions in many areas," he said. Alongside the book ban and restrictions imposed on women, the Taliban return has led to restrictions on freedom of expression. Media outlets work under rules that are not always clear about what can and cannot be covered, and in some cases must submit coverage for review before publication. The Taliban also imposed restrictions on printing books. An owner of a printing press in the eastern province of Nangarhar, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, told VOA that the provincial Directorate of Information and Culture instructed publishers not to print anything without prior permission. "In a meeting with publishers, the Taliban officials said that 'if you are publishing any book, you must first obtain permission from the directorate,'" said the business owner. The owner said that businesses are struggling under the Taliban, but there is an increased demand for books, particularly ones that are banned. "The Taliban's restrictions have sparked social and cultural resistance," he said, with people seeking ways to oppose the limitations, including by reading prohibited books. 'It reflects the fear' Abdul Ghafoor Lewal, an Afghan writer and former diplomat, told VOA the Taliban's actions reveal fear of any opposition. "It reflects the fear authoritarian regimes have of freedom of expression, books and knowledge," said Lewal. Khoshbo said the Taliban's ban would not stop her and other women from writing and participating in social and political life. "The Taliban can't suppress our voices by "banning books," said Khoshbo, but "women can't be erased from society and politics."
