ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi have underlined the importance of the UAP Railway Line Project, calling it a key step towards boosting regional connectivity.
The two officials spoke over the phone on Sunday and agreed to work together for the early finalisation of the framework agreement for the railway project, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
Just a day earlier, Senator Dar also spoke with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich.
Their discussion focused on speeding up work on the agreement and planning the signing ceremony in consultation with the Afghan leadership for the UAP railway line project.
The Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway is a major joint initiative aimed at linking Central Asia to Pakistan’s ports of Gwadar and Karachi through Afghanistan.
The 573-kilometre railway line will connect Tashkent to Peshawar via Kabul and is expected to cost around $4.8 billion.
During the conversation, Muttaqi welcomed Pakistan’s decision to elevate its diplomatic relations with Afghanistan to the ambassador level. He confirmed that Kabul would respond in kind.
He described the move as a “very positive development” for the relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
Both sides also discussed progress on decisions taken during the deputy prime minister’s visit to Kabul on April 19. They agreed to continue close cooperation and build mutual trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Until now, both countries have maintained embassies in each other’s capitals, but diplomatic missions have been led by charge d’affaires instead of ambassadors.
Pakistan announced on Friday that it was promoting its top diplomat in Kabul to ambassador level, a sign of improved ties. The following day, Afghanistan said it would do the same for its diplomatic post in Islamabad.
China was the first country to accept an ambassador from the Taliban-led government in Kabul, although it has not formally recognised it. The United Arab Emirates and a few others have since followed.
