ISLAMABAD: Kazakhstan has expressed its readiness to fully finance the development of new trade corridors connecting Pakistan to Central Asian States (CASs) via China, marking a potential leap forward for regional connectivity and economic integration.
Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin, conveyed this commitment during a meeting with Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan on Saturday afternoon.
The proposed corridors aim to replace the existing difficult and fragmented land routes with modern, high-capacity links anchored through Chinese territory, creating faster, more secure, and more efficient trade flows.
The Ambassador underscored that the plan would not only strengthen Kazakhstan–Pakistan trade relations but also integrate them into a larger Eurasian transport network, with China serving as a pivotal bridge between South Asia and the heart of Central Asia.
Highlighting current routes, he referred to the existing corridor stretching from Kashgar in China to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, while also advocating improvements to the Karachi–Chaman–Kandahar route to complement the China-linked network.
In a major diplomatic development, the President of Kazakhstan is scheduled for a two-day official visit to Pakistan in the first week of November, expected to yield significant agreements. To prepare for the visit, both sides will establish joint working groups (JWGs) in commerce and transport, ensuring technical and strategic groundwork is in place.
Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to making China the central transit hub for its access to Central Asia, leveraging both the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and overland routes through Afghanistan and Iran.
Drawing parallels to the transformative Karakoram Highway, he emphasized Pakistan’s ambition to create an interconnected regional road network that mirrors CPEC’s success in linking remote areas to major markets.
He also cited recent international conferences in Belarus and Iran as evidence of growing regional momentum toward land-based trade connectivity, noting that cross-border road infrastructure, especially those transiting China, will be instrumental in unlocking new economic opportunities.
The meeting also addressed pending matters with the National Logistics Cell (NLC) concerning trade agreements. Federal Secretary for Communications Ali Sher Mehsud was present during the talks, underscoring the high-level coordination between the two countries.
The proposed China-anchored trade corridors could position Pakistan as a key transit state in a multi-country trade axis linking Chinese markets to Central Asia and beyond. –Agencies
