Pakistan ready to establish rail link with Afghan

Islamabad, Jan 26: Pakistan has prepared itself to establish a rail link with Afghanistan and is waiting for the approval of the country's President Hamid Karzai to make the Chaman-Spin Boldak rail section operational.

''Pakistan Railways is prepared with men and material to establish the rail link from Chaman to Spin Boldak, and is waiting for Afghanistan's response,'' Dawn newspaper quoted Federal Minister for Railways Shaikh Rashid Ahmad as saying in Rawalpindi.

The Pakistan Railways will lay an 11-kilometre track up to Spin Boldak free of cost on the land provided by the Afghan government.

The project, which will also cover construction of a railway station at Spin Boldak, will cost 7 million dollar.

Since Afghanistan does not have a rail network, the entire railway operation up to Spin Boldak will be manned by the Pakistan Railways, and in return the Afghan government will be responsible for providing personnel security.

The Chaman-Spin Boldak section will be completed in phase-1 of the project and Spin Boldak will be connected with Kandahar in phase-2. The track will finally link Khushka in Turkmenistan.

UNI