By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Business Forum, where the prime minister offered Pakistan’s deep-sea ports at Gwadar and Karachi to Central Asian states.
Addressing the forum, PM Shehbaz outlined plans to expand rail and road links via Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a landmark connectivity project that could transform economic integration between Pakistan, Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asian region.
“Pakistan is fully committed to participate and contribute meaningfully in undertaking this project, as it will be a game-changer not only between our two countries, but it will change the economic landscape of the entire region,” he said.
The prime minister added that Pakistan’s state-owned logistics entities were prepared to facilitate the movement of goods from Central Asia to Pakistani ports and onward to international markets. He described regional rail and road connectivity, particularly the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan corridor, as a potential game-changer for the region.
PM Shehbaz also announced the formation of a joint working group to prepare a five-year roadmap to enhance trade, commerce and bilateral investment. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal will head the Pakistani delegation, while Kazakhstan has nominated its deputy prime minister to lead its side. The roadmap is expected to be finalised and signed during PM Shehbaz’s visit to Kazakhstan later this year.
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