Planning for Rail System Connecting Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan Continues

Dec. 23—When Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Uzbekistan’s Minister for Transport Ilkhom Makhkamov on the sidelines of the OIC meeting in Islamabad Dec. 17-19, construction of the 573 km stretch of rail needed between Kabul, Afghanistan and Peshawar, Pakistan was on the agenda, Afghanistan’s Finance Ministry reported. This is the key link needed to tie together the South and Central Asian nations by rail through Afghanistan, and via Peshawar, Pakistan, to give the landlocked Central Asian countries sea access. Finance Ministry spokesman Ahmad Wail Haqmal said that Uzbekistan has promised to train Afghan personnel for technical work on the railway, work on which is projected to begin in the spring of 2022. “This is a big project. Every country has its role in it. Every country will allocate funds for its construction. The technical affairs have yet to be finalized. A delegation will soon visit Uzbekistan to discuss the technical issues,” Haqmal said.