Pakistan proposes next-generation economic corridors

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has urged that CAREC transport routes be converted into next-generation economic corridors, according to The Express Tribune. Speaking at the 25th CAREC Ministerial Conference in Ulaanbaatar, he said Pakistan regards Corridors 5 and 6 as a route to join Central Asia to the Arabian Sea and generate activity along the routes.

He proposed building logistics and production hubs at strategic points, where facilities for chilling, packing and storing goods, plus light manufacturing, could turn transit cargo into exports and jobs. Iqbal also backed a digital corridor across the region, pointing to Pakistan Single Window as a base for staged digital links with regional partners. He added that paperwork tied to a shipment should be cleared ahead of its arrival at the frontier.

Iqbal wants borders treated as a common service, with aligned opening hours, advance electronic data, joint procedures and fewer repeated inspections. He also called for measuring crossing waits, delivery timelines, local jobs, small and medium enterprise participation, and opportunities for women and young people. Earlier, at the opening session under the theme 25 Years of Partnership, Shaping the Future Together, Pakistan said it expects to take over the CAREC chairmanship in 2027 and to be host of the 26th Ministerial Conference.