Examine India's 'Connect Central Asia' policy in light of recent high-level engagements with Uzbekistan.

India's 'Connect Central Asia' Policy (2012) seeks to leverage civilisational links with its "extended neighbourhood" through strategic-security cooperation, capacity building, commerce, connectivity and people-to-people exchange [1]. The August 2026 State Visit to Uzbekistan, which elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, offers a useful test of how far this policy has travelled.

Political and strategic dimension

• Institutionalisation is the policy's clearest gain: from the Strategic Partnership of 2011 to the 2026 upgrade, backed by a Foreign Ministers-led mechanism and an Inter-Governmental Commission raised to ministerial level [2][3].
• The India-Central Asia Summit, first held virtually in January 2022 with all five republics, gave the policy a leaders'-level platform, with Uzbekistan a consistent anchor [4].
• Defence content has matured through the annual "Dustlik" joint military exercise, held in Namangan region in April 2026 [3].

Economic and energy dimension

• Trade remains thin — around USD 1 billion, against a target of USD 5 billion by 2030, with Indian investment near USD 350 million [2].
• Sectoral cooperation is nonetheless concrete: the Uzbek-Indian Free Pharmaceutical Zone at Andijan enables Indian firms to manufacture locally [5].
• A framework for long-term uranium supply advances India's civil-nuclear fuel security and critical-minerals diversification [2].

Persisting constraints

• Absence of direct land access, with Pakistan blocking overland transit, keeps India dependent on Chabahar and the INSTC, raising costs and delivery timelines.
• China's deep infrastructure and credit footprint, and Russia's traditional primacy, limit India's comparative weight.
• Outcomes have historically lagged declarations, making implementation the real challenge.

The Uzbekistan engagement shows 'Connect Central Asia' shifting from declaratory diplomacy toward structured, sectorally-anchored partnership. Sustaining this requires operationalising Chabahar-INSTC connectivity, converting trade targets into diversified exports, and deepening digital, pharmaceutical and green-energy niches where India holds advantage. Anchored in strategic autonomy and mutual development, Central Asia can evolve from an extended neighbourhood into a genuine economic frontier.