PM Shehbaz Invites Tajikistan to Use Karachi Port for Transit Trade

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday invited Tajikistan to use Karachi port for transit trade. The premier’s suggestion came during a meeting with Prime Minister of Tajikistan Qohir Rasulzoda in Dushanbe. The Prime Minister said that regional connectivity can be further promoted by the construction of rail tracks and roads between the two countries. The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the steadily expanding bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest and reaffirmed their shared desire to further strengthen the existing fraternal ties. The premier congratulated the Tajik Prime Minister on the successful organization of the 3rd High-Level Water Conference and appreciated Tajikistan’s leading role in the field of water diplomacy. While hailing the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement as a historic moment in bilateral ties between Pakistan and Tajikistan, he expressed the hope that this elevation of the relationship between the two countries would open up new areas of mutually beneficial economic cooperation. He also underlined that Pakistan would continue to pursue enhanced engagement with Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan, in line with its “Vision Central Asia” policy. He stressed that enhanced regional connectivity and integration would remain key components for sustainable long-term socio-economic development of the region. Prime Minister Sharif also emphasized the importance of regional ties in the South Asian and Central Asian region. He suggested that Pakistan can host a regional connectivity summit to provide trade corridors to Central Asian countries and promote regional trade. He welcomed the recent start of international flights between Pakistan and Tajikistan and emphasized the importance of increasing the number of these flights. It is pertinent to mention here that the Prime Minister is on a two-day official visit to Tajikistan at the invitation of the President of Tajikistan.