It not only allowed Pakistan to use the route of Afghanistan to reach central Asia but also allowed a landlocked Afghanistan to reach Arabian sea from Pakistan. The Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA) is a transit trade deal between China, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan for facilitating transit traffic and trade. Earlier, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan signed a roadmap for the construction of almost 600km of Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway line in Tashkent in February. PM Imran Khan welcomed the proposed Trans-Afghan railway project and underscored Pakistan’s commitment to support all efforts for the earliest realisation of this important connectivity project. Pakistan must develop close trade and economic relations with Russia through Central Asia and also facilitate the road and railway infrastructure needed to connect Russian export hubs.

Source: The Nation August 12, 2021 02:00 UTC