Pakistan has proposed modernizing the transport corridors connecting Central Asian countries, including Turkmenistan, with the ports of Gwadar and Karachi on the Arabian Sea coast.

This initiative was put forward by Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, at the 25th Ministerial Conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program. The conference was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The proposals presented by the Pakistani side envision a large-scale modernization of the transport CAREC program corridors, transforming them from mere freight transit routes into full-fledged economic corridors.

On the sidelines of the forum, the head of the Pakistani delegation also met with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kandą to discuss joint programs for accelerating exports and the development of key infrastructure facilities for the region.

The Pakistani side paid special attention to the strategic importance of developing CAREC's 5th and 6th transport corridors. These routes allow for the creation of a transit transport system connecting Central Asia with South Asia and the sea ports on the Arabian Sea coast along the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan route.

One of the main focuses of the proposal is to increase economic activity along transport routes. In this regard, it is proposed to establish logistics and manufacturing hubs, multimodal warehouses, cold storage facilities for agricultural products, as well as product assembly and packaging enterprises along key transport arteries.

To increase the efficiency of transport corridors, Pakistan also proposes creating a unified digital corridor. This system involves applying the "single window" principle, establishing preliminary electronic data exchange at borders, and modernizing the ML-1 railway mainline.

The comprehensive implementation of these measures can enable producers and exporters in the region's countries to reduce delivery times for goods and expand direct and reliable access to South Asian markets and global maritime trade routes.

New opportunities will also be created in the future for the implementation of these initiatives. In 2027, Pakistan will chair the CAREC program and host the program's 26th Ministerial Conference.

Within the framework of the forum held in Ulaanbaatar, a memorandum aimed at expanding cooperation between the CAREC Capital Markets Development Forum and the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum was also signed. The document aims to further deepen financial integration in the region.