ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has operationalized a new trade route connecting Central Asian states to its southern ports via China, an official statement said on Thursday, as the country received the first shipment of goods from Kyrgyzstan, a development that positions it as a regional transit hub while bypassing neighboring Afghanistan.
The development comes as ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain strained, with repeated border skirmishes and security concerns disrupting traditional transit routes. Landlocked Central Asian states have long depended on access through neighboring countries, but Islamabad is now offering an alternative corridor through the Khunjerab Pass and Sost dry port.
“Under the new route, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will have direct access to Karachi port,” Pakistan’s state-run National Logistics Cell (NLC) said in a statement.
“Pakistan has become a fast, secure and reliable trade corridor for landlocked Central Asian countries,” it added.
The statement said the shipment was transported by an NLC partner company under a transit agreement.
The initiative builds on Pakistan’s broader efforts to expand trade links with Central Asia and leverage its geographic position as a gateway to the Arabian Sea, particularly as geopolitical tensions reshape regional supply chains.
The route is expected to provide greater stability and predictability for transit trade, though its long-term viability will depend on infrastructure capacity and sustained regional cooperation.
