Tajikistan’s lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament has ratified its transit trade agreement with Pakistan. The agreement is reportedly aimed primarily at “Tajik cargo carriers' access to Pakistani seaports of Karachi and Gwadar.” A government-to-government agreement on transit trade between Tajikistan and Pakistan was signed in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on December 15, 2022 during Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s official visit to Pakistan.
A regular sitting of the Majlisi Namoyandagon, presided over by its head, Mahmadtoir Zokirzoda, on May 10.
Presenting the document to lawmakers, Deputy Minister of Transport, Farrukh Nematzoda, noted that the agreement is aimed at creating favorable conditions for development of international cargo transportation and increasing the turnover of goods and products.
According to him, the agreement provides additional opportunities for Tajik cargo carriers to access the Pakistani seaports of Karachi and Gwadar and “promotes multimodal transportation with connection to economic corridors of China and Pakistan.”
Multimodal transportation or multimodal shipping refers to logistics and freight processes that require multiple modes of transportation. For example, one shipment may involve rail carriers, air cargo freight, as well as a truck carrier.
Nematzoda noted that the length of roads from Dushanbe to Kabul and further to Islamabad is 1044 kilometers “that is considered a favorable route for access to the Pakistani seaports.”
The deputy transport minister emphasized that Pakistan had concluded similar agreements with some other countries, in particular with Uzbekistan.
Experts note that the government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Pakistan on transit trade is aimed at enhancing trade and economic linkages. Increasing transit trade between the two countries is reportedly expected to mark a new beginning for the region’s bilateral economic and trade ties, and facilitate contact with other countries.
According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Pakistan over the first three months of this year has valued at little more than 16 million US dollars.
