Pakistan, Tajikistan ink string of agreements, MoUs

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan and Tajikistan on Wednesday inked a string of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the fields of trade, development, industries, and science and technology.

The agreements were signed in the presence of visiting Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the capital Islamabad, a joint communique said.

Rahmon, who is in Islamabad for a two-day visit, also held a one-on-one meeting with Sharif at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The two countries signed a transit trade agreement, aside from separate agreements in the fields of industry and technology transfer.

The two anti-narcotics agencies signed an agreement to restrict the illegal movement of narcotics and psychotropic drugs, as well as their suppliers, between the two countries.

Tajikistan’s Customs Service and Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue inked an MoU to establish electronic data interchange between the two sides.

Another MoU was inked between the Institute of Water Problems, Hydropower and Ecology department of Tajikistan and the Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources for basic research in the aforementioned domains.

Yet another MoU was signed, declaring Dushanbe and Islamabad “sister cities.”

An MoU for mutual cooperation was also signed by the University of Peshawar and the Tajik National University.

Earlier, when the Tajik president arrived at the Prime Minister's Office, he was greeted by a guard of honor.

Later, in a joint stakeout, the two leaders called for enhancing economic cooperation and bilateral trade between the two countries.

During the meeting, Sharif expressed his desire to work closely with Rahmon to complete the CASA-1000 power project "as early as possible," apart from building rail, road, and energy links with Central Asian countries.

CASA-1000 is a $1.16 billion under-construction project that will allow surplus hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to be transferred to Afghanistan and then to Pakistan.