Karachi (July 25, 2023) United Business Group (UBG) praised the historic tripartite agreement for the creation of a rail network connecting Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, calling this agreement a guarantee of strength between Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. According to a statement released by United Business Group (UBG) Central Spokesperson Gulzar Firoz, Chairman UBG, Sindh Region Khalid Tawab said that on behalf of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan (UAP) his nation The business community expresses its best wishes for this important tripartite agreement to establish a major rail network connecting the two countries and this historic decision led by the respective governments will promote regional, transit and bilateral trade as well as people-to-people connections across the region.
Khalid Tawab expresses its profound appreciation for the momentous trilateral accord inked by Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (UAP) to establish a pivotal rail network interlinking their nations. This landmark decision, spearheaded by the respective governments, is poised to foster regional, transit, and bilateral trade while enhancing people-to-people connectivity across the entire region.
Chairman UBG(Sindh) is confident that this transformative initiative will ignite economic growth, facilitate tourism prospects, and solidify trade relationships in the area.
The UBG commends the exemplary work of the expert teams from the three countries’ railway networks in diligently finalizing the route and implementation modalities. According to the agreement’s details, the rail connection will traverse Termiz in Uzbekistan, Mazar-i-Sharif and Logar in Afghanistan, and culminate in Pakistan via the Kharlachi border crossing in Kurram. Envisaging a approximately 760km railroad, this ambitious project is expected to reduce cargo delivery times between Uzbekistan and Pakistan via Afghanistan by approximately five days, while also slashing the cost of goods transport by at least 50 per cent.
With great optimism, the UBG anticipates that the successful completion of this route will bring Central Asia’s vast opportunities closer to Pakistan’s population of 230 million, while simultaneously unlocking new trade corridors with Arabian Sea nations. Stressing the urgency of connectivity in the ECO region, the UBG notes the current negligible volume of trade and believes that this endeavor is the need of the hour to foster economic prosperity and cooperation.
The UBG further recommends that Pakistani trade bodies proactively disseminate awareness of this transformative project among their members and intensify interactions with their counterparts in the ECO region, particularly in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Furthermore, the UBG advocates for the ECO Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the apex chamber of the ECO region, to present a comprehensive overview of this viable project in member countries.
As the vision of this monumental rail network comes to fruition, the United Business Group stands ready to support and promote this transformative venture that promises to be a game-changer for the entire region.
