“The acting Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, held talks with Uzbekistan’s Minister for Transport, Ilkhom Makhkamov, on the sidelines of the OIC summit in Islamabad. According to the ministry, Tashkent promised to train some Afghan personnel for technical work on the railway,” the report said.

The railway will connect South Asian nations to Central Asia.

The length of the railway between Kabul and Peshawar is estimated to be around 573 km. The construction will cost $4.8 billion.

“This is a big project. Every country has its role in it. Every country will allocate funds for its construction. The technical affairs have yet to be finalized. A delegation will soon visit Uzbekistan to discuss the technical issues,” said Ahmad Wail Haqmal, a spokesman for the Finance Ministry of Pakistan.

The project will begin in the spring of the coming year.

Some economists said that the connection between Central Asia and South Asia via Afghanistan would benefit the country.