Relevant regional and international agreements: Ministries, Aviation Division assigned to evaluate
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the Ministry of Railways, and the Aviation Division were assigned to evaluate relevant regional and international agreements that could facilitate economic integration through new routes.
The second consultative meeting of the Working Group on Multimodal Connectivity chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives was held on Wednesday, with participation from key government stakeholders, including the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Maritime Affairs, and the Aviation Division.
During the meeting, the working group presented a comprehensive review of currently operational trade corridors and proposed new routes to strengthen regional connectivity. The Minister for Planning reviewed the existing corridors, while discussions were held on proposed road, rail and maritime linkages.
In follow-up to the previous meeting, the Ministry of Communications had been tasked with reviewing existing transport infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and policy instruments along identified trade corridors.
Highlighting Turk-menistan as a comparatively shorter and viable transit option, he directed that a thorough assessment of this route's feasibility be undertaken. Reflecting on his recent visit to Turkmenistan for the 1st ECO Ministerial Forum on Sustainable Development, the minister noted the country's keen interest in fostering regional connectivity. On a query regarding Turkmenistan's potential use of Gwadar Port, the minister was apprised by Ministry of Maritime Affairs that the port is operational, and 100 acres of land have been allocated for an off-dock terminal. The PC-1 for its development is under preparation for proposed inclusion in PSDP 2025–26. Recalling the prospect of Gwadar–Oman sea connectivity as discussed in previous meeting, the minister advised the concerned ministry to share progress on this initiative in the next meeting.
Minister Iqbal further emphasised the need for effective phasing in the planning of the multi modal connectivity network to identify infrastructural and policy challenges that may arise in the development of new trade corridors.
The Ministry of Communications presented a three years' summary of the movement of NLC trucks operating through three key trade corridors: the Trans-Afghan Corridor, the North-South Corridor, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Ministry of Communications briefed the minister that in 2023, Pakistan transported the highest number of trucks to Uzbekistan, as compared to other Central Asian countries. In 2024, Afghanistan took the lead as the primary recipient of Pakistani trucked exports.
The official from Ministry of Communications also briefed the minister that current figures for 2025 indicate that the top three countries to have received Pakistani trucked exports so far had been China, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, respectively. 'These trends reflect Pakistan's growing engagement with neighbouring markets and underscore the importance of developing efficient multimodal trade corridors to enhance regional connectivity and economic integration,' stated the planning minister.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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