Uzbekistan has begun using new overland trade corridors through Iran and China to access Pakistan, creating an alternative route that bypasses Afghanistan.

Tashkent has already started transporting agricultural machinery and industrial raw materials via the Gabd-Rimdan border crossing on the Iran-Pakistan frontier. The new corridors, launched in April 2026, provide Central Asian countries with an additional gateway to Pakistani seaports and global markets, The Caspian Post reports via The Jerusalem Post.

The alternative routes were introduced after Pakistan indefinitely closed the Torkham and Chaman border crossings with Afghanistan in October 2025 due to security concerns.

More than 14,000 metric tons of cargo have already been transported through the two new corridors, highlighting growing demand for the new logistics network.

One of the transport corridors was officially inaugurated in Karachi in the presence of senior officials from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, underscoring regional efforts to strengthen trade connectivity.

The new transport network is expected to expand the use of the TIR international transit system and the Single Window electronic customs platform, while boosting the strategic role of Gwadar Port under the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).