QUETTA: Federal Mini-ster for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq has said that law and order situation in Balochistan is improving and mentioned a fall in the number of attacks on trains and railway tracks in support of his claim.

Addressing a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Saad Rafiq praised the provincial government for working hard to improve the situation.

The federal minister endorsed a provincial government’s suggestion for holding talks with the Chinese government for building a railway track to connect Gwadar with Peshawar via Quetta and Zhob.

He assured the meeting that he would raise with the prime minister the matter of restoring railway service between Harnai and Sibi and Quetta and Zahidan.

In an official statement, the provincial government said that train service between Harnai and Sibi would facilitate local traders in transportation of coal and vegetables while the passenger service between Quetta and Zahidan would be helpful to people travelling to Iran for pilgrimage.

The minister accepted a proposal to allot railways’ land in Quetta for building a stadium in the provincial capital. He said Pakistan Railways would provide land also in Taftan, Dera Allahyar and Chaman for stadiums.

Provincial ministers Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai, Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal and officials of provincial government and Pakistan Railways attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn December 8th , 2014