Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, arrived in Kabul on 17 July for a one-day trip to sign a Framework Agreement on a joint feasibility study for the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway Project. His Uzbek counterpart, Bakhtiyor Saidov, and senior Afghan officials joined the ceremony, according to statements from the three governments. The pact commits the three countries to finance and complete a detailed study of a proposed rail corridor that would link Uzbekistan to Pakistan’s seaports via Afghanistan. Supporters say the line could create a shorter, year-round trade route for Central Asian exporters, expand Afghan transit revenues and open new markets for Pakistani goods. Officials from Islamabad described the agreement as a prerequisite for securing external financing and technical partners for the multibillion-dollar project, first floated in 2021. Dar also met Afghanistan’s acting foreign and prime ministers to discuss broader economic and regional issues, underscoring Pakistan’s effort to deepen engagement with Kabul despite security and political frictions.