Pakistan, Uzbekistan urge Taiban to dismantle terrorist groups

Pakistan and Uzbekistan called on the Taliban to address terrorism threats and take “immediate and concrete actions” to dismantle and eliminate all terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, according to a joint declaration issued after talks between the two countries’ leaders.

The call came after Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held meetings in Islamabad with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a state visit on Feb. 5–6.

The two leaders said peace and stability in Afghanistan were critical for regional security and for the successful implementation of the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan (UAP) railway, a flagship connectivity project intended to link Central Asia to Pakistani seaports through Afghan territory.

They reaffirmed support for the UAP railway and welcomed earlier agreements signed in Kabul, including endorsement of the Termiz–Kharlachi route and plans to jointly finance a feasibility study. Both sides said they were committed to pushing for early completion of the project.

Beyond Afghanistan, the leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across trade, energy, transport, defence and culture, and reiterated a target of increasing bilateral trade to $2 billion by 2029. Pakistan said it would provide Uzbekistan access to its ports and road network to facilitate transit trade.

The talks also covered regional security cooperation, with both sides pledging closer coordination between law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking.

Pakistan and Uzbekistan said they would work closely at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, and stressed that regional stability was essential for broader economic integration between Central and South Asia.

The Taliban have not commented on the joint declaration. Pakistan has repeatedly asked the Taliban to take action against TTP activities in Afghanistan. Taliban have denied presence of the group in Afghanistan, but a UN monitoring group has reported that TTP has at least 6,000 fighters in Afghanistan.