ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday underscored the importance of regional connectivity as a driver of stability, economic growth, and shared prosperity, calling the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a “catalyst” for energy and infrastructure development across South and Central Asia.
Deputy PM Dar was addressing the opening session of the Regional Transport Ministers’ International Conference in Islamabad. The conference brought together transport ministers and senior officials from more than two dozen countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
Representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the International Road Transport Union (IRU), and the United Nations ESCAP also participated.
Pakistan offers to lead on regional connectivity
Dar said Pakistan was ready to coordinate transport plans, enhance cross-border facilitation, mobilise joint investments, and strengthen regional value chains, reaffirming Islamabad’s commitment to cooperation in trade, energy, and digital linkages.
“Pakistan’s strategic location connecting South Asia with Central Asia, the Middle East, and China makes it a natural hub for regional connectivity,” he said.
“Our vision is to build seamless linkages through road, rail, air, maritime, energy, and digital corridors—turning geography into opportunity,” Dar said.
The deputy prime minister emphasised that regional cooperation in connectivity and transport was not optional but essential for stability and growth in a rapidly changing global economic landscape.
CPEC as a catalyst for development
Highlighting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Dar said the multi-billion-dollar initiative was now widely recognised as a catalyst for energy infrastructure development, transport connectivity, and enhanced trade across the region.
He said CPEC embodied Pakistan’s commitment to building partnerships that deliver tangible benefits not just for Pakistan and China but for the entire region.
“Together, we can transform these corridors into engines of growth. Connectivity is about building trust, opportunity, and a shared destiny,” he added.
Dar said Pakistan’s high-speed motorways and national highways formed the backbone of regional connectivity, linking key border crossings to the ports of Karachi and Gwadar.
He also cited the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Framework Agreement and the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad (ITI) Corridor as transformative initiatives opening new trade routes between landlocked Central Asia and the global market.
Energy and digital corridors as future priorities
The deputy prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to trans-border energy projects, including CASA-1000 and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP-500) electricity transmission projects, which he said would strengthen regional energy security and link Central Asian producers with South Asian markets.
Dar also emphasised digital integration, saying Pakistan was prioritising digital trade platforms and e-port integration to enable seamless, paperless, and transparent trade flows. “Physical and digital connectivity is essential to advance together,” he said.
He noted that Pakistan’s e-visa facilities for citizens of 126 countries, particularly from Gulf and Central Asian states, and efforts to improve banking access were part of broader measures to ease cross-border movement of goods, people, and services.
Practical cooperation
In his address, Pakistan’s Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan called for “practical and actionable” measures to deepen regional transport integration, saying efficient transport systems were essential for competitiveness, resilience, and sustainable growth.
“Transport and connectivity are pillars of economic growth,” he said. “This conference provides an opportunity to share perspectives and forge partnerships to strengthen transport networks and bring our communities closer together.”
Pakistan Railways upgradation to boost regional trade
Pakistan’s Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transforming Pakistan Railways into a modern and efficient service provider.
He said the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project remained the backbone of the railway network, handling 80 percent of passenger traffic and 90 percent of freight operations.
Abbasi said the upgradation of ML-1 would significantly enhance operational capacity and open new trade opportunities within the region.
He also highlighted the ML-2 and ML-3 projects, which connect Pakistan with Central Asian states and Iran via Quetta-Taftan, noting that the ML-2 corridor would play a vital role in the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway initiative.
Pathway to shared prosperity
Dar said Pakistan envisioned “a future where goods, energy, data, and people move without hindrance across borders; where economies complement each other; and where connectivity drives inclusive growth.”
He invited all regional partners to deepen engagement, align strategies, and forge durable partnerships to unlock the full potential of regional connectivity.
“Connectivity is not just about infrastructure,” Dar said. “It is about building trust, opportunity, and a shared destiny for our region.”
