Pakistan, Afghanistan Agree to Promote Regional Railway Project

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (L) speaks during a bilateral meeting with his Afghanistan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul on April 19, 2025.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan’s Acting FM Amir Khan Muttaqi agreed to push forward a regional rail project that would connect the two countries to Uzbekistan. This emerged after a call between the two on Sunday.

The call follows last week’s trilateral meeting in Beijing brokered by China and aimed at restoring ties that have been frayed by security disputes. Beijing moved early to normalize relations with the Taliban government and to facilitate Afghan-Pakistani cooperation. So far, there is no official confirmation that China would be involved in the rail project, but it would connect to Gwadar Porta key node in Belt and Road expansions in Pakistan.

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