The governments of Pakistan and China are making concerted efforts to expedite the revival of CPEC 2.0, aiming to achieve sustainable socio-economic prosperity, high-quality industrialization, hybrid agriculture, the systematic development of special economic zones, the institutionalization of digitalization and the integration of artificial intelligence. In this context, both sides are working jointly to accelerate CPEC 2.0, including its extension into trans-regional connectivity, where the proposed Pak-Tajik Corridor of Connectivity (PTCC) is expected to play a pivotal role in the coming years.

It is a positive development that Pakistani policymakers have now recognized the need to bypass Afghanistan and explore alternative routes to connect with Central Asia for enhanced socio-economic integration and stronger trade ties. The opening of five new crossing points with Iran and a renewed focus on the Gilgit-Xinjiang-Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Corridor will further reinforce efforts to link CPEC 2.0 with all Central Asian countries. Moreover, speculation regarding the National Resistance Front’s capture of the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan has further brightened the prospect of achieving $1 trillion consumer market in mutual trade with the Central Asian region.

According to credible diplomatic sources, Pakistan and Tajikistan are actively developing a direct international land corridor via Gilgit and China to strengthen economic ties while bypassing Afghanistan. Under the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA), this route would involve trucks traveling from Pakistan into China’s Xinjiang province and then westward into the Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan representing a significant step toward deepening direct trade relations and bilateral economic cooperation in the years ahead.

Analytically, historically and geographically, Pakistan and Tajikistan are separated by the Wakhan Corridor, a........

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