- Opinion: Kazakhstan, Pakistan Launch Trans-Afghan Multimodal Transport Corridor
By Muhammad Rafiq
Enhanced bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Pakistan have reached new horizons. Through the collaboration of KZT Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan Railway and QazTrade Center for Trade Policy Development Company with Pakistan’s National Logistic Corporation, a new trade route has been launched. This route runs from northeastern Kazakhstan via Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and onward by sea to the port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. The estimated delivery time for shipments along this route is 20-25 days.
Both countries are coordinating with all stakeholders and are determined to realize the potential of this new trade link, which can be termed the Trans-Afghan Multimodal Corridor. As a pilot project, a recent cargo shipment of two 21-ton trucks containing locally produced goods from the Pavlodar Special Economic Zone departed to the Zhetygen Transport Logistical Center (the Almaty Region), trans-shipped into two 40-foot containers. The shipment was then carried by road to Karachi port in Pakistan. This 4,900-kilometer trip to Karachi took 20 days. From Karachi on June 1, the containers were loaded to a feeder vessel that reached Jebel Ali Port (Dubai) in the UAE on June 3. Kazakh authorities reported that by July, an additional 60 containers are likely to be shipped via this trade route.
This practical demonstration boosts Kazakhstan’s ability to efficiently supply its products to the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
On the same route, the first shipment has been successfully delivered from Pakistan to Azerbaijan via Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Caspian Sea through TCS, the first TIR Operator of the country. The shipment was dispatched from a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer located in Karachi. Covering a total distance of 4,820 kilometers, this historic journey started from Karachi, crossing into Afghanistan via the Torkhum border, and passing through Jalalabad and Kabul. At the Termiz cargo center in Uzbekistan, the consignment was handed over to a TIR partner. The shipment then moved to Tajen, the Uzbek-Kazakh border, via the historic cities of Qarshi and Bokhara. The land journey was concluded at the northern Aktau seaport of Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea. The truck carrying the container was then ferried across the Caspian Sea, reaching the Baku seaport in less than two days. The entire journey from Karachi to Baku took 21 days.
The pilot transportation motivates Pakistani exporters to supply their goods to Central Asia, Russia, Belarus, the Caucasus region, and Europe through a corridor.
The Trans-Afghan Corridor is an already signed $4.8 billion railway project of three countries connecting Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. It features a 573-kilometer rail track that will link Central Asia to the ports of Pakistan. The route will pass through Termiz in Uzbekistan, Mazar-e-Sharif and Logar in Afghanistan, culminating in Pakistan via the Kharlachi border in Kurram District, reaching Kohat District where a rail link already exists.
The governments of Pakistan and Kazakhstan, along with an institutional framework, have agreed to expand the Trans-Afghan Corridor for excellent connectivity, trade and commerce, energy trade, employment, and economic growth. At the Apr. 9 meeting in Islamabad, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin assured Mazhar Ali Shah, Federal Secretary Railways, of Kazakhstan’s commitment to connecting with Pakistan through a rail link. He emphasized the key role of the Joint Working Group on Transport and Regional Connectivity, and the railways ministries of both countries.
In May 2024, transport ministers, representatives of railway ministries, and international logistic companies from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan met in Termiz to discuss the construction of the Trans-Afghan Corridor. They considered possibilities for optimizing the tariffs rates, digitalizing routes, and improving the infrastructure of border crossings. A Joint Working Group was established and a roadmap for the development of a corridor was adopted.
The creation of a consortium for the project was also discussed in detail. Representatives of the Kazakh government noted that the corridor would significantly reduce delivery times and the cost of freight transportation. The preliminary cost of the project was estimated at $5 billion. The transit potential of the corridor is projected to be up to 20 million tons of cargo, connecting Europe, Russia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Kazakhstan, as a transit hub, is very excited about the opportunities in this new dimension of the supply chain. In July 2023, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan signed a protocol to connect the Uzbek rail network with Pakistan Railways. Earlier, on April 8, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan entered a joint venture to build the Trans-Afghan railway line, connecting the Uzbek and Kazakh railway systems through a special railway line traversing Afghanistan to reach Pakistan’s seaports. Kazakhstan plans to participate in the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway corridor by supplying materials for the railway track, including sleepers and fasteners.
Pakistan is already a key player of the Trans-Afghan Corridor but its transformation into a multimodal corridor by including Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Caspian ports, has opened new economic opportunities. Pakistan’s National Logistic Corporation, with its logistic solutions and cross-border transport under the TIR system, is ready to contribute to the success of the Trans-Afghan Multimodal Transport Corridor.
Muhammad Rafiq (Pakistan) is a senior banker based in Kazakhstan. He has an interest in Central Asian studies.
