Pakistan and Kazakhstan have agreed on a new transport and trade corridor passing through Afghanistan, aimed at boosting regional connectivity, Pakistan’s government said on Thursday.
The agreement was signed during talks between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Under the plan, the corridor would link Belarus to Pakistan via Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, Sharif said at the signing ceremony. He added that Pakistan had offered Kazakhstan full access to its transit infrastructure and seaports.
“We have agreed to the Belarus–Russia–Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan transport corridor to enhance regional connectivity,” Sharif said, describing Kazakhstan as one of Pakistan’s most valued strategic partners in Central Asia.
Sharif said the two countries also saw significant opportunities for cooperation in energy, culture and information, calling the partnership a “win-win” for both sides. He said the agreement would give fresh momentum to bilateral ties.
Kazakhstan is a major energy producer and a key Central Asian economy, while Pakistan has sought to position itself as a transit hub linking Central Asia to ports on the Arabian Sea.
Taliban authorities have not commented on the proposed corridor.
The agreement comes amid ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Taliban, with key border crossings closed for nearly four months due to disputes along the frontier. Several rounds of talks between Pakistani officials and Taliban representatives in Doha, Istanbul and Riyadh have so far failed to address the tensions and secure a reopening of the crossings.
Pakistan has said improved regional connectivity depends on stable transit routes through Afghanistan, which remains critical to overland trade between Central Asia and South Asia.
