On June 17, 2026, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said Tashkent was actively working on the Trans-Afghan Corridor, a railway route that would give Uzbekistan direct access to southern seaports. His statement landed as technical and economic studies; the railway kept moving forward. The project is no longer just talk; it’s inching towards something real. Afghan International⁠

That progress exposes a problem nobody wants to name. Convincing governments the railway is useful was never the hard part. Keeping it secure is. Pakistan and Afghanistan still don’t trust each other, and the Trans-Afghan Railway needs stable movement through Afghan territory and across a border that closes more often than anyone likes to admit. Pakistan can’t treat security cooperation with Kabul as separate from the connectivity project. It has to be part of it. 

Timing explains the urgency. Uzbekistan wants a shorter route to the Arabian Sea, one that cuts its reliance on north trade corridors. Pakistan gets a shot at Central Asian markets and busier seaports. Afghanistan collects transit revenue and a bit of economic relevance it hasn’t had in years. Three countries, three good reasons to build this thing. But shared interest in a railway doesn’t create a secure corridor. Wanting something and being able to protect it are different problems.

A railway isn’t a press release. Once it’s running, time crosses borders on schedules, not sentiments. Cargo needs to move without getting stuck at checkpoints for weeks. Tracks and stations need protection from whoever wants to disrupt them. Any serious flare-up between Islamabad and Kabul could shut the whole........

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