ISLAMABAD, Apr 30 (Alliance News): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to immediately begin work on the feasibility of a proposed railway link between Pakistan and Kazakhstan to boost regional connectivity and trade.
The directive was issued during a meeting with Kazakhstan’s Minister for Transport, Marat Karabayev, at the Prime Minister’s House.
PM Shehbaz called the railway project a “game-changer,” emphasizing its potential to connect Central Asian states with Pakistan’s Gwadar Port and open new avenues for trade and economic development.
He recalled his productive meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the World Water Summit in Saudi Arabia and expressed hope for his upcoming visit to Pakistan, which he said would further strengthen bilateral ties.
A Pakistani delegation will soon visit Kazakhstan to finalize the technical details of the feasibility study.
The prime minister also discussed expanding cooperation in education, proposing the establishment of Kazakh university campuses in Pakistan and enhanced air connectivity between the two nations.
He acknowledged Kazakhstan’s potential role in promoting chess and martial arts in Pakistan and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening business-to-business ties, with a focus on sectors like trade, agriculture, investment, IT, and communication.
Kazakh Minister Marat Karabayev thanked the prime minister for the warm reception and highlighted his country’s interest in deepening economic relations with Pakistan. He pointed to the strategic significance of Gwadar and Karachi ports for Kazakhstan and reaffirmed support for the proposed Almaty-Gwadar railway corridor.
He also noted the successful 13th session of the Pakistan-Kazakhstan Joint Inter-Ministerial Commission, where agreements were signed in 10 key sectors, including MoUs on cooperation in information, culture, textiles, and mineral development.
A Kazakh business delegation currently visiting Pakistan has toured both Karachi and Gwadar ports and held business-to-business meetings in Karachi.
The meeting was also attended by federal ministers Abdul Aleem Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Hanif Abbasi, SAPM Tariq Fatemi, and other senior officials.
