CASA-1000 Nears Completion: Central Asian Power for Pakistan by Next Year

Key Points:

The CASA-1000 power project is 80 to 90 per cent complete, with only 1,300 kilometres of wiring remaining.
Tajikistan’s Ambassador Sharifzoda Yusuf Toir told Faisalabad traders that Central Asian electricity should reach Pakistan by the middle of next year.
Yarn exports worth $120 million through Afghanistan stand halted over logistics problems.
FCCI President Arif Ehsan Malik said bilateral trade remains far below potential despite friendly relations.

FAISALABAD: The CASA-1000 electricity project is in its final stages, with only 1,300 kilometres of wiring left before Central Asian power starts flowing to Pakistan next year.

Tajikistan’s Ambassador Sharifzoda Yusuf Toir said this while addressing traders and industrialists at the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday. He said 80 to 90 per cent of the project’s work stood complete.

The ambassador recalled that the TAPI gas project was launched 35 years ago. CASA, by contrast, began only 10 years ago and has reached its final stages.

Electricity is very cheap in Tajikistan, the ambassador told the gathering. Investors setting up industries there receive special concessions for 15 years, while machinery imports carry no tax.

Yarn exports worth $120 million through Afghanistan stand halted because of logistics problems, he pointed out. The ambassador hoped the leadership of both countries would find a solution soon.

On banking channels, the ambassador urged both countries to find their own workable arrangements instead of depending on other nations’ banks. He proposed that FCCI office-bearers meet the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan.

Middlemen should be removed so direct trade can start, the ambassador added. Trade between the two countries could also grow through barter, with projects benefiting both sides preferred.

Most of the work on CASA has been completed; only wiring of 1300 KM is remaining

Tajikistan offers excellent education services, the ambassador noted. Some 600 Pakistani students are currently studying medicine in his country.

Pakistan’s airport services are very expensive, he observed. Tajikistan has extended many facilities to Pakistani traders, including visa and e-visa services.

The ambassador invited Faisalabad traders to the International Universal Exhibition-Fair Tajikistan-2026 in Dushanbe from 12 to 14 November 2026. He assured them of full facilitation from his embassy.

The ambassador praised Faisalabad’s Circular City project, calling it both business and a blessing. The project must be taken forward, he stressed.

FCCI President Arif Ehsan Malik said Faisalabad is Pakistan’s third largest city with an important central location. Once known as the textile capital, the city has diversified into automobile production, mobile phone assembly, beverages, food, confectionery, dairy and tin manufacturing.

The chamber has over 22,000 members representing 128 trades, the president said. Pakistan-Tajikistan relations are friendly, yet bilateral trade remains far below its potential.

Language remains a barrier between the two sides, though most Tajik diplomats understand and speak Urdu, he noted. Most trade previously moved through Afghanistan, but the route has been badly hit by the Pak-Afghan border closure since October 2025.

Tajikistan’s total imports stand at about $6.4 billion a year, the president said. Immediately workable export opportunities for Pakistan are worth about $85 million.

The opportunity covers agricultural products, meat, rice, citrus fruit, mangoes and halal food, he added.

Connectivity is the basic need, including direct flights between Islamabad and Dushanbe, the president stressed. He directed the Secretary General to write to PIA at once.

The president proposed that the National Bank of Pakistan consider restoring its presence in Dushanbe. A chamber delegation for Tajikistan would be formed very soon, he added.

Dr Muzammil Hussain of the National Textile University said Faisalabad recycles more than 60 per cent of the country’s waste. The recycling covers textile, energy, agriculture, plastic and municipal waste.

Mansoor, Hameed Shakir and other members took part in the question-and-answer session. Senior Vice President Mian Muhammad Saeed thanked the guests.

President Malik presented the FCCI shield to the ambassador, who gifted him a special cap and shirt for Tajikistan’s 35th Independence Day. The ambassador recorded his impressions in the visitors’ book before posing for a group photo.

Vice President Muhammad Yaseen was also present on the occasion.

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