Karachi-Peshawar Railway ML-1 project to be expedited: Chinese Administrator
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ISLAMABAD (APP): Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique has said Railway network project forms backbone of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) communications infrastructure and is of particular significance to regional connectivity.
Saad Rafique together with Minister of Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal said this during a meeting with Administrator of Chinese National Railways Administration (NRA), Lu Dongfu in Beijing.
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He is leading a delegation of Pakistan's Railways to China, says a message received here on Tuesday.
The meeting discussed cooperation between the two countries in railways, focusing particularly on ML1 Karachi-Peshawar railway project.
He expressed the hope that the project would be pursued on a fast-track and meet timelines. They expressed satisfaction over cooperation in railways projects including the ML1 and discussed ways of its speedier implementation.
Lu Dongfu said CPEC had made significant progress and friendship between the two countries provided an essential strength to overcome potential obstacles. Playing key role in economic connectivity, CPEC would change dynamics of economic development in the region, he added.
He expressed the confidence that work on railway projects was being steered in a very friendly way and added that both countries shared the vision for developing effective railway system from Kashghar to Gwadar which would provide a cost competitive mode of transportation and instant connectivity to China for transportation of goods.
Lu Dongfu said that China and Pakistan had a solid foundation of cooperation and added that cooperation is for friendship and for mutual development and the implementation of railways projects would have a tremendous impact on socio-economic development of the country.
Ahsan Iqbal during the meeting said that CPEC projects were on ground and ahead on implementation.
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He said that railways transportation was a critical element of connectivity between Pakistan and China. Ahsan Iqbal said Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif regularly and personally monitors progress. Most of energy and highway projects would be completed around end of next year.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador Masood Khalid and Senior officers of Pakistan's Railways Ministry as well as senior officers from Chinese NRA.
This was the second senior level meeting of NRA and Ministry of Railways.
