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Various road projects connecting Pakistan with Tajikistan approved

Dawn.com Published November 13, 2015

MURREE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with the visiting President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon here at the Governor House on Friday.

During the meeting, National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Shahid Ashraf Tarar gave a detailed presentation to the Tajik delegation, in which different infrastructure projects showing options of connectivity between Pakistan and Tajikistan were presented, reported Radio Pakistan.

Both the leaders gave in principle approval of different road projects connecting Pakistan and Tajikistan including Gwadar-Peshawar-Kabul-Kunduz-Dushanbe route, Khunjerab-Kalasu-Murghab route and Chitral-Ishkashim-Dushanbe route.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi gave a presentation on matters related to regional security.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said regional connectivity with Tajikistan and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC) projects would transform the economic outlook of the entire region.

The Tajik president lauded the infrastructure projects in progress in Pakistan and extended complete support for implementation of the proposed projects.

During the meeting, the two leaders were also briefed on CASA-1000, a project of regional energy cooperation among Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan and road connectivity.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi attended the meeting from the Pakistan side.

Tajik Foreign Minister Aslov Sirodjidin and Interior Minister Rahimzoda Ramazon, and other senior officials accompanied President Rahmon.

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AAN

Nov 13, 2015 01:04pm

No comment why we can not have power from Iran intead of going through such a difficult route. Pak Taj route will be unreliable and hard

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Outspoken Pakistani

Nov 13, 2015 01:47pm

@AAN because sanctions on Iran havn't been lifted yet

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Mujahid HUSSAIN.

Nov 13, 2015 02:23pm

why not import electricity through china? perhaps it would be more secure route.

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chachajee

Nov 13, 2015 02:56pm

Why not stop theft of electricity at home and bring down theft losses from 35% to 5%. Major problem already stands settled. Who will ball the influential cats?

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Rahim

Nov 13, 2015 02:57pm

That day is not far when a group of friends from Lahore or Karachi will go on a road trip to Moscow or Istanbul through Central Asia without having to get any visa.

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Sarai Alamgir

Nov 13, 2015 03:00pm

Good progress, what comes first is Pakistan.

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M.Saeed

Nov 13, 2015 03:03pm

Importing electricity through terror-land is not sensible. It is unfortunate that we rely upon others and fail to get ourselves out of corrupt practices.

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exposing nonsesnse

Nov 13, 2015 03:10pm

thanks god, Pakistan is "connecting" to the word. all the best .

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TechnoKraft

Nov 13, 2015 03:30pm

Wakhan was simply a buffer zone for Soviets otherwise we wud hv had direct border with Tajikistan. The wakhan area is narrowest near Khandud just nearly 10km, 2ndly the route via China already exist and is safe.

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Kaka

Nov 13, 2015 03:53pm

@Mujahid HUSSAIN. Import of electricity from China is more expensive than then making it here in Pakistan.

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Younus Ali (BD)

Nov 13, 2015 04:00pm

We many of BD citizen want to tour Pakistan but some problem in BD govt and Pakistan situation

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gaurav pratap singh

Nov 13, 2015 04:02pm

better is that pakistan should invest these money in its land & do effort to become self dependent in power generation instead to search new routes to import electricity!

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Shakir Ansari

Nov 13, 2015 04:06pm

@TechnoKraft I agree with you. This route not only is 'SAFE' but connect Central Asia and Russia with Pakistan.

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Riaz

Nov 13, 2015 04:28pm

@Rahim For Pakistan, unless things change dramatically, there will always be visa even in very ordinary countries. We are famous the world over for pricisely the wrong reasons.

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Waseem

Nov 13, 2015 04:29pm

@Younus Ali (BD) personally wellcome you to Multan, if you can stand with , There should be no problem on Pak side

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NoFame

Nov 13, 2015 04:45pm

Why not from Iran? sorry no need to otherwise will be the same - what we did while importing the natural gas !!

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Afzal

Nov 13, 2015 04:58pm

@Rahim Yes a trip by road will be great!! But let us not get too excited about visa which I think will continue to remain a requirement at least for entry to Russia.

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Abbu

Nov 13, 2015 05:06pm

@AAN I wish you spend more time studying economics to understand 'why things happen' rather then web surfing

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Zohaib

Nov 13, 2015 05:23pm

i would love to drive to tajikistan, iran, india and other regional countries like they do in europe, we must strive for a peaceful collaborative future

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Sab Se Pehle Pakistan

Nov 13, 2015 06:00pm

People are starving to death, no food, no education, no medical facilities and we are making to connect with Tajikistan, a country people hardly know exist on the map. This is happening because the bigger the project the bigger the cut/commission of this corrupt to the core PML-N government.

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think_then_speak

Nov 13, 2015 06:32pm

Pakistan and Tajikistan share no boundary. If they have to connect it would be through Afghanistan's territory. Such project of roads need to be trilateral instead of two distant countries thinking to connect ignoring the fact that how they would connect....

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M.Saeed

Nov 13, 2015 06:51pm

@TechnoKraft: Unfortunately, we cannot extend high tension power lines easily through high mountains and known high earthquake zones. The technology involved is very costly and maintenance in all weather conditions, is almost impossible. It requires quick access through all weather roads, which are another impossibility. That is the reason we had not been able to provide power to the northern areas during Z.A Bhutto times, when it was a high priority of the Government. Instead, 100 Small Hydel Power Scheme was started to produce and supply power to small settlement based upon nearby streams.

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M.Saeed

Nov 13, 2015 07:42pm

@Sab Se Pehle Pakistan : Before putting corruption blame on any party or person, can you find just 10 people from the entire country who are not corrupt? If so, just give them the reins of governance and then see the wonders. Quaid e Azam had the whole civil service of just 90 honest people who carried Pakistan to a developing rate of 23% annual.

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Taimoor Khan

Nov 13, 2015 08:15pm

Haters going to hate. They should and they must, but hey, who cares, we will do what needs to be done. Things are moving are rapid pace with CPEC, infact CPEC is becoming CPRC, with Russia connecting to the warm waters of Arabian sea via Pakistan as terminal end of the corridor.

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shawn

Nov 13, 2015 08:28pm

Iran pipeline is being built by China this is just another option and Iran is still under sanction they have not been lifted yet but going to

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shawn

Nov 13, 2015 08:32pm

@gaurav pratap singh government can hire companies to take on projects never make anything of their own without curruption since there is no company that can take on mega projects in pakistan it has to depend on investment in and out

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shawn

Nov 13, 2015 08:33pm

It is also to export oil and gas while getting rent for using the port it's not just for importing

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Shahjahan Bhatti

Nov 13, 2015 09:17pm

Underground railway will be cheaper way to connect Pakistan with north. More important of course is cultural connections.

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Nov 13, 2015 09:35pm

@chachajee "Why not stop theft of electricity at home " because in huge areas of Khyber and Baluchistan and rural Sindh no one pays Electricity or Gas bill. and those government are not ready to take actions. Only in Karachi and Punjab it is not happening systematically, sure individual cases of theft are there.

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Naveed

Nov 13, 2015 10:34pm

And yes we need fly over Afghanistan, nothing can happen till Afghanistan is stabilized. NS stop building castle in the air and try to find a solution to the Aghan issue where all in the region can prosper.

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