ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon has reached Islamabad on an important visit to Pakistan which according to experts, will determine the future relations of both the countries.
Upon his arrival in Islamabad on Wednesday evening, the Tajik president was presented a 21-gun salute and a guard of honour by a smartly turned out contingent, according to Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency.
A high-level delegation comprising ministers and other senior officials was accompanying Emomali Rahmon who is undertaking his sixth visit to Pakistan.
During his visit, the Tajik president will hold separate meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
“The visit is of greater significance, especially in the context of the shared desire to enhance cooperation in political, economic, energy, infrastructure development for rail and road links, air connectivity, social, human resource development and cultural spheres, defence and security relations,” the Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said in a statement in Islamabad on Monday.
“CASA-1000, a project of regional energy cooperation among Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, would be another major area of cooperation that would come under discussion,” the spokesman added.
The two countries established their diplomatic relations soon after Tajikistan emerged as an independent country after its separation from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have signed more than 40 bilateral agreements since early 1990s but nothing concrete came out of these agreements and both countries practically failed to get fruits of their relationships due to almost no land and air connections.
“The visit of Tajik President is very important for Tajikistan because if Pakistan fails to give some tangible support to Tajikistan then it can seriously think about International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC),” a regional expert in Eastern Europe and Central Asia Agha Iqrar Haroon said in his article “Visit of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon –CPEC and future of Pak-Tajik Relations” published on November 10.
Agha Iqrar Haroon is of the view that the outcome of visit of President Emomali Rahmon will be very important for CPEC as well as future relations of Pakistan with this Central Asian state. Pakistan can lose this friend forever if things do not move ahead and both countries keep standing in papers —-MoUs and agreements.
