ISLAMABAD: To tap into an over $90 billion Central Asian export market, Pakistan is planning to sign transit and preferential trade agreements (PTA) during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Uzbekistan later this month to attend the ‘Silk Route Connect’ Conference, Khan’s commerce adviser has said.
The summit, which will take place in Tashkent on July 15-16, was conceived by Pakistan’s commerce ministry earlier this year and is being organized by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). Khan is expected to leave for Uzbekistan on July 13 or 14.
“During the visit of the prime minister, Pakistan and Uzbekistan will sign a number of agreements, including Transit and PTA,” Abdul Razak Dawood, adviser to the PM on commerce, told Arab News in an exclusive interview in Islamabad, estimating that trade potential for the export of goods between Asian countries and Uzbekistan stood at over $90 billion.
Dawood said signing the PTA would help Pakistan diversify its export market outside of Europe and the United States.
“Pakistani exporters have been concentrating on Europe, UK, America, Japan and Korea but there is a much bigger world so one of our policies is to look at the Central Asia republics and that is why we have selected this ‘Silk Route Reconnect’ theme and we have selected Uzbekistan,” the commerce adviser said. “Uzbekistan is the only country that is connected with all Central Asian countries and they have very good infrastructure.”
Dawood added: “We are hopeful once we begin in Uzbekistan in July 2021 and our businesspeople settle in, we would be able to have more and more exports not only to Uzbekistan but to other Central Asian republics.”
The PM’s aide said Islamabad and Tashkent had agreed to set up warehouses in their respective countries for the facilitation of trade: “Dedicated space in Gwadar and Tashkent would be allocated for setting up warehouses.”
In May this year, the first TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers/ International Road Transport) vehicle successfully crossed into Pakistan carrying goods from Uzbekistan via Afghanistan.
“After the successful trial of TIR we are planning to increase the flow of goods among the Asian countries”, Dawood said.
The PM’s adviser did not rule out the possibility of Pakistan accessing Moscow through land routes via Central Asian countries where the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) have set up road and railway infrastructure links with Russia.
Pakistani PM to sign agreements in Uzbekistan to tap $90 billion export market — aide
https://arab.news/m3zmp
Pakistani PM to sign agreements in Uzbekistan to tap $90 billion export market — aide
- Khan will be in Tashkent to attend ‘Silk Route Connect’ summit on July 15-16, PM’s commerce adviser says
- Dawood says Pakistan wants to diversify its export market beyond Europe and United States
Pakistan army chief says future warfare will rely on technology over battlefield maneuvers
- Asim Munir cites drones, electronic warfare and surveillance as central to future war operations
- Remarks follow Pakistan’s 2025 military conflict with India that highlighted role of technology
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief said on Thursday future conflicts would be shaped more by technology than traditional battlefield maneuvers, as the military accelerates its shift toward drone warfare, electronic systems and networked command structures, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan military.
Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who also serves as Chief of Defense Forces, made the remarks while visiting the Bahawalpur Garrison in southern Punjab, where he observed a high-intensity field exercise focused on integrating new technologies into conventional military operations, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The exercise, titled Steadfast Resolve, involved unmanned aerial systems, advanced surveillance assets, electronic warfare capabilities and modern command-and-control mechanisms, reflecting what the military described as a move toward “technology-enabled multi-domain operations.”
“Character of war has evolved massively, with technological advancements driving the evolution, dictating huge mental transformation at all tiers,” Munir said while addressing troops, according to the ISPR statement.
“In future, technological maneuvers will replace physical maneuvers and will fundamentally alter the way offensive and defensive operations are undertaken,” he added.
Militaries worldwide are reassessing combat doctrine as drones, electronic warfare and real-time data increasingly shape outcomes on modern battlefields. In South Asia, those shifts gained renewed attention following military exchanges between Pakistan and India in May 2025, when both sides employed surveillance, electronic countermeasures and precision capabilities alongside conventional forces, underscoring the growing role of non-kinetic domains.
Munir said the Pakistan army was “embracing and absorbing technology at a rapid pace,” adding that “innovation, indigenization and adaptation shall remain fundamental” as the military prepares for future battlefield and security challenges.
The army chief also reiterated that Pakistan’s armed forces remained prepared to defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, while emphasizing the need to maintain readiness as warfare increasingly expands across physical, cyber and electronic domains.
