The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan administration on Tuesday’s newsletter announced that the head of the Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA), Bakhtul Rahman Sharaft, had visited Pakistan and aimed at initiating talks with his Pakistani authorities on the ‘Trans-Afghanistan Railway project.
In a meeting with Zafar Zaman Ranja, Pakistan’s Deputy Minister of Railways, he assured the commitment of the Taliban to lay the groundwork for conducting technical studies of the Trans-Afghan railway line, according to the new newsletter.
It is also stated that the costs of these technical studies will be jointly paid by Uzbekistan and Pakistan, the primary beneficiaries of the project.
The Trans-Afghanistan railway line starts from northern Mazar-e-Sharif province on the southern border of Uzbekistan and leads to Torkham port between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Business experts believe that the successful implementation of this railway is of significant importance for all stakeholders including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. The railway links South Asia to Central Asia, a unique project of its kind in over 40 years to be established, leading to economic prosperity and trade connectivity in the region.
Moreover, the country’s Acting Minister of Energy and Water Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor traveled to Uzbekistan last week. The Minister discussed the problems related to the supply of electricity from Uzbekistan with Uzbek authorities and extended the contract until the end of 2023.
source: khaama