Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is keen to build an 8.2 billion US dollars rail link with Uzbekistan as it tries to enhance linkages with Central Asian countries, it revealed on Monday during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Railways.
Senate Deputy Chairman Mirza Muhammad Afridi chaired the meeting while Senator Shahadat Awan, Senator Dost Muhammad and Railways Ministry Secretary Zafar Ranjha and other relevant officers also participated.
On the occasion, Ranjha told the participants that government was considering an Afghan Transit project which will connect Pakistan to the Central Asian country Uzbekistan. The committee directed the railways’ ministry to give a briefing on the project in next meeting.
Pakistan Meeting discusses Peshawar-Torkham railway link’s restoration
The meeting also discussed the restoration of a fifty-nine kilometer-long railway track between Torkham and Peshawar. Senator Ahmed said that the track was important for trade and had a historical significance as well.
He said that it had been built back in 1926 and remained operational till 2007 when it was destroyed by floods. He expressed his disappointment over the lack of interest by the authorities in rebuilding it.
He said that the restoration would cost approximately 1.982 billion rupees but the ministry lacked the required funds for this purpose. However, the ministry was in talks with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government and has nearly convinced to finance this important project.
