Premier Khan says peace in Afghanistan imperative for region
Naveed Ahmad Khan
TASHKENT: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said Pakistan’s connectivity with Uzbekistan in trade and bilateral spheres would open up new avenues of prosperity in the region.He said that peace in Afghanistan is imperative for the region. “Pakistan has immense potential to connect Central Asia with rest of the world and become a hub of trade,” the prime minister said in his address at the Uzbekistan Pakistan Business Forum, held here in the Uzbek capital.
The forum was attended by a large number of businessmen from Pakistan and Uzbekistan besides the delegation of prime minister including Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Minister for Information Technology Atif Khan. Prime Minister Imran Khan assured the businessmen and traders of Uzbekistan that Pakistan would extend them every possible facilitation in promotion of trade. “I want to assure the business community of Uzbekistan that this relationship is just the beginning of the journey of development and prosperity,” he said. The prime minister said the railway project among Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan would prove to be a revolution of development. The prime minister stressed that to exploit the region’s potential, peace and security in the neighborhood was essential. On the situation in Afghanistan, he said peace in the war-torn country was important to ensure materialization of development projects in Central Asia. On bilateral trade relations between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, PM Imran Khan maintained that both the countries enjoy strong bilateral ties in trade and culture. “It is time to further expand bilateral ties between both the nations.” PM Khan also hoped that rail project between both countries will be launched soon. The event was moderated by the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan A. Ikramov. The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov, Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Abdul Razak Dawood, President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo and other representatives of the ministry and agencies, as well as representatives of the business circles of the two countries.
The key topic of the event was the strengthening of bilateral ties between the business communities of the two countries, as a decisive factor in the further development of investment and trade and economic Uzbek-Pakistani cooperation. During his speech, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov noted that trade and economic ties and cooperation between the two countries have been actively developing in recent years,and despite the pandemic, the volume of mutual trade and the number of joint business projects between Uzbekistan and Pakistan are growing rapidly.