Uzbekistan echoes Pakistan’s concerns over Afghanistan

Islamabad:Like Pakistan, Uzbekistan was also deeply concerned about instability in Afgh­anistan, said Uzbek Ambassador Javlon Vakhabov.

Mr Vakhabov was speaking during a discussion hosted by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS). He noted that the recent increase in cross-border terrorism negatively impacted both ongoing and proposed he emphasised that Uzbekistan's primary agenda was economic viability and connectivity, making stability in Afghanistan crucial. He expressed Uzbekistan's desire to collaborate with the Pakistani government to create an enabling environment for enhanced connectivity and praised Pakistan's efforts to engage with Central Asian states for multisectoral cooperation.

Saleem, President, IRS, highlighted the pressing issues of regional instability and the Afghan Taliban's failure to uphold their commitments from the Doha agreement. He pointed out that the Afghan Taliban face challenges beyond instability including their inability to establish an inclusive gover­nment, ensure girls' education and prevent their territory from being used for terrorism. He commended Uzbekistan for its proactive approach to fostering regional connectivity and expressed optimism for potential collaboration in various projects of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Former ambassador Mr Kadambay Sultanov and Lead Research Fellow Alouddin Komilov focused on expanding the strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Pakistan through think tank collaboration, establishing an expert council on regional connectivity and launching the Central Asia, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan (CAPA) centre at the IRS.