DPM Ishaq Dar lands in Kabul for signing railway pact

• Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan to sign joint feasibility study.
• FM Dar to discuss bilateral matters with Afghan leadership: FO.
• Minister to be accompanied by high-level delegation during visit.
  

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Kabul on Thursday to sign a trilateral railway agreement between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed.

The Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Project aims to build a rail link to connect Uzbekistan with Pakistan via Afghanistan and facilitate access to Pakistani seaports for Central Asian States.

By facilitating regional trade and transit, the project is expected to promote regional stability, growth and development.

DPM Dar — who will witness the signing of the Framework Agreement on Joint Feasibility Study for the UAP Railway Project — is accompanied by Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, special representative for Afghanistan, and secretary for railways, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

In an earlier statement, the Foreign Office said that the foreign minister's visit underscores the importance Islamabad attaches to the successful realisation of the UAP Railway Project.

The foreign ministry said the signing of the Framework Agreement on Joint Feasibility Study between the three participating countries in Kabul will be an important step towards its implementation. 

During the visit, the foreign minister will also hold a meeting with Afghanistan's acting foreign minister and will call on the acting prime minister to discuss bilateral matters and exchange views on regional and international developments.

Pakistan, back in May, announced upgrading its Chargé d'Affaires in Afghanistan to the level of an ambassador amid improving ties with the neighbouring country.

Earlier this month, Islamabad and Kabul, during the inaugural round of the additional secretary-level mechanism between the foreign ministries of the two countries, agreed on two-sided efforts to further strengthen the legal movement of individuals across borders.

The two countries discussed key areas of bilateral interest, including trade and transit cooperation, security, and connectivity and recognised terrorism as a serious threat to regional peace and security.