In a significant move to bolster economic ties, Pakistan and Uzbekistan today committed to elevating their bilateral trade to an ambitious two billion dollars within the next two years, underpinned by an urgent initiative to fast-track an expanded Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and establish digital connectivity.

The consensus was reached during high-level discussions in Tashkent between Ihsaan Afzal, Coordinator to Pakistan”s Prime Minister on Commerce and Industry, and Shohrukh Gulamov, the Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade for the Republic of Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, Mr. Afzal underscored the critical necessity of establishing digital links between the two nations to minimize logistical delays and improve trade predictability, highlighting the importance of real-time cross-border data exchange.

In response, Mr. Gulamov confirmed that technical teams are working expeditiously to operationalize an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system between the corresponding authorities of both countries.

To ensure the political will translates into tangible commercial outcomes, both delegations also resolved to intensify business-to-business contacts and increase the exchange of trade missions.