LAHORE: The West Pakistan Education Minister, Malik Khuda Bakhsh, today [June 25] announced the Government’s decision to make religious education compulsory up to the Matriculation level. The Government also proposed to introduce it in the colleges as a compulsory subject up to the degree level, he said.

Replying to the debate on cut motions on new expenditure on education, he said the mission schools in the province had also been asked to teach Islamic studies to all Muslim students. According to him, the Government was attaching great importance to the teaching of the subject and the present annual expenditure in the field stood at rupees one crore. Besides all course of studies had been revised to bring them in line with Islamic ideology.

Malik Khuda Bakhsh told the House that by 1970 teaching of Science would be introduced in all schools in the province.

[Meanwhile, as reported by agencies from Rawalpindi,] Pakistan and Afghanistan signed here today an agreement for the operation of a Railway line between Chaman and Spinbaldak.

To be completed at a cost of Rs 3.5 million, an about seven-mile long railway line will be the first railway link between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The line will be operated by the Pakistan Western Railway.

According to the joint communiqué issued after the signing of the accord, a separate agreement for construction of the railway line between the two Governments and the USA AID will be negotiated at an early date.

The two Governments have agreed in principle that after the completion of the railway line between Chaman and Spinbaldak, the truck owners at present engaged in transportation of goods between Chaman and Kandahar regardless of their nationality will be permitted to ply their vehicles between Spinbaldak and Kandahar in accordance with the spirit of the Pakistan-Afghanistan agreement for regulation of traffic in-transit, 1965.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2016