ISLAMABAD: A road in Kazakhstan’s capital city, Astana, will be named after the father of the Pakistani nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, while a road in Islamabad will be named after Kazakhstan’s national poet, Abai Qunanbaiuly.

This was agreed upon during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin and Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Muhammad Ali Randhawa.

“It was discussed that the unveiling ceremony of the roads would take place during the upcoming visit of the president of Kazakhstan this year,” read a press release issued by CDA.

It said that matters of mutual interest—especially exploring avenues for development, progress and beautification of Islamabad—were also discussed.

The statement added that the CDA chief noted the sister-city relationship between Islamabad and Astana, and mentioned that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in Islamabad in 2004.

During the meeting, discussions were held on partnership opportunities and potential collaboration with the CDA for key projects, including the establishment of a state-of-the-art slaughterhouse in Islamabad and a business facilitation centre, which would provide business-related services under one roof.

Additionally, the construction of a modern football stadium equipped with advanced facilities to promote healthy activities in Islamabad was discussed.

The meeting also touched upon the upcoming industrial exhibition scheduled to take place in Islamabad in October this year.

The ambassador assured his full support for CDA projects, and it was agreed that focal persons would be appointed from both sides to ensure close coordination between the CDA and the embassy of Kazakhstan in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2025