RAWALPINDI, Jan 25: Pakistan has completed its homework to establish a rail link with Afghanistan and is now waiting for a go-ahead signal from Afghan President Hamid Karzai to make the Chaman-Spin Boldak rail section operational.

Federal Minister for Railways Shaikh Rashid Ahmad told journalists at the Rawalpindi Railway Station on Thursday that the Pakistan Railways was prepared with men and material to establish the rail link from Chaman to Spin Boldak, and was waiting for the Afghanistan response.

Sources told Dawn the Pakistan Railways would 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.

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 would be responsible for providing personnel security.

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