{"id":53849,"date":"2025-10-24T20:26:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T20:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=53849"},"modified":"2025-10-24T20:26:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T20:26:44","slug":"pm-pakistan-highlights-trans-afghan-railway-islamabad-tehran-istanbul-corridor-air-connectivity-with-central-asia-and-cpec-02-at-transport-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pm-pakistan-highlights-trans-afghan-railway-islamabad-tehran-istanbul-corridor-air-connectivity-with-central-asia-and-cpec-02-at-transport-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Pakistan Highlights Trans-Afghan Railway, Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul corridor, Air connectivity with Central Asia and CPEC 02 at Transport Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-53850\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PM-Pakistan-Transport-Ministers-e1761336237764.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/>ISLAMABAD: 24 Oct 2025 &#8211; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan stands as a \u201cunique tri-junction\u201d of economic corridors linking China, Central Asia and the broader Middle East, serving as a vital connector of markets and people while opening new avenues for trade and energy cooperation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Addressing the concluding session of the two-day Regional Transport Ministers Conference \u2014 themed \u201cRegional Connectivity: Opportunities for the Region\u201d \u2014 the premier underscored Pakistan\u2019s central geographic and economic role in regional integration.<\/p>\n<p>The event, hosted by the Ministry of Communications, brought together transport ministers and delegates from 20 countries, along with representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), and the International Road Transport Union (IRTU).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis would strengthen our common stake in peace and reinforce efforts for development in the region,\u201d Shehbaz said. \u201cLet us together sow the seeds of cooperation so that we may harvest the fruits of development and prosperity for our people, our region, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Highlighting the significance of CPEC and other transnational rail and road initiatives, the PM said these connectivity projects would help synergise regional economies and usher in a new era of enhanced trade, economic, and energy cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor centuries, the present-day Pakistan has thrived on connectivity \u2014 from the ancient Silk Road to today\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative,\u201d he noted. \u201cShifting geopolitical dynamics and the growing dominance of economic priorities have breathed new life into this ancient corridor, transforming it from a relic of the past into a strategic necessity for our future.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"EkyteetXqh\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-hosts-regional-transport-ministers-conference-rtmc-2025-participants-underscored-collective-commitment-to-deepening-cooperation-enhancing-connectivity\/\">Pakistan hosts Regional Transport Ministers Conference (RTMC) 2025 | Participants Underscored Collective Commitment to Deepening Cooperation &#038; Enhancing Connectivity<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan hosts Regional Transport Ministers Conference (RTMC) 2025 | Participants Underscored Collective Commitment to Deepening Cooperation &#038; Enhancing Connectivity&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-hosts-regional-transport-ministers-conference-rtmc-2025-participants-underscored-collective-commitment-to-deepening-cooperation-enhancing-connectivity\/embed\/#?secret=UUkOdfbiGN#?secret=EkyteetXqh\" data-secret=\"EkyteetXqh\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>PM Shehbaz said\u00a0Pakistan\u2019s geography, linking the warm waters of the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, placed it at the confluence of China, the Eurasian land bridge, and the Middle East. He said the country\u2019s long coastline made Gwadar and Karachi ports key transit points on the maritime Silk Road.<\/p>\n<p>Lauding the vision of his brother and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the premier said the signing of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor had been a transformative step that connected markets across China, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>He said, Pakistan is now entering an \u201cexciting\u201d new phase of CPEC 2.0\u00a0focused on promoting business-to-business partnerships, attracting Chinese investment, and deepening mutual prosperity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-53853\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PM-Pakistan-Transport-Ministers-1-e1761336621994.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"355\" \/>In addition, the prime minister mentioned several ongoing rail projects, including the Trans-Afghan Railway and the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul corridor, as well as plans to enhance air connectivity with Central Asian states under frameworks such as the TIR Convention.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Calling connectivity \u201cnot just about roads and railways,\u201d he said, Pakistan was also investing in digital infrastructure to prepare for the fourth industrial revolution. \u201cWe may not have black gold, but our youth \u2014 60% of whom are between 15 and 30 years of age \u2014 are our greatest asset,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n<p>In his closing remarks, Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan said the participants had reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen connectivity as a path to shared prosperity. He said the conference emphasised creating new linkages, developing innovative financing mechanisms, and fostering partnerships with international financial institutions.<\/p>\n<p>The participants, he added, also called for liberal visa schemes, improved road safety measures, and stronger collaboration to achieve sustainable regional growth.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"q8TnI8GNxz\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-september-2025\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 September 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 September 2025&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-september-2025\/embed\/#?secret=XWHMnTc2rq#?secret=q8TnI8GNxz\" data-secret=\"q8TnI8GNxz\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD: 24 Oct 2025 &#8211; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan stands as a \u201cunique tri-junction\u201d of economic corridors linking China, Central Asia and the broader Middle East, serving as a vital connector of markets and people while opening new avenues for trade and energy cooperation. Addressing the concluding session of the two-day [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53850,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[1851,491,490,697,820,384,251,319,48,2082,678],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53849"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53849"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53854,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53849\/revisions\/53854"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}