Pakistan has formally launched a new overland trade corridor to Central Asia via Iran, dispatching its first export consignment from Karachi to Tashkent, customs officials told The Express Tribune on April 13.

The move opens a shorter, road-based route linking Pakistan’s Arabian Sea ports to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and, potentially, other destinations in Central Asia.

It is meant to offer exporters a faster and potentially cheaper alternative to traditional maritime and multi-leg transit chains. The opening of the corridor also shows Islamabad’s push to leverage regional connectivity through Iran to tap landlocked markets and ease bottlenecks at congested ports.

Sanaullah Abro, director of transit trade customs, said the inaugural shipment comprised frozen meat transported in refrigerated trucks from Karachi to the Uzbek capital.

“The first consignment has been dispatched,” he said, adding that future cargoes would move via Gwadar port and across Iranian territory en route to Central Asian states.

A launch ceremony in Karachi, attended by customs authorities and logistics firms, framed the corridor as a “key” step towards deepening trade links between Pakistan, Iran and the wider region.

The road-based arrangement would smooth cross-border movement and cut delays typically associated with legacy routes.

Under the new framework, goods will be hauled by truck through Iran, reducing handling times and streamlining customs procedures.

Pakistan said the corridor would serve as a “viable” option for exporters seeking quicker turnaround and lower freight costs, while boosting throughput at Gwadar and other ports.