LAHORE, Jan 18: Arrangements for the resumption of the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail link have been completed, but the Indian railway authorities are creating hurdles in this regard.

“The Indians have asked us to start freight train as well, though it was earlier decided that only the passenger service would be resumed,” Minister for Railways Mian Shamim Haider told newsmen at the PR headquarters here on Wednesday.

“The Pakistan Railways cannot meet the demand of its Indian counterpart. It is beyond our purview. Such matters are decided at the government level,” the minister said.

“However, if the freight train was started as well, we can recover in two years the Rs1 billion spent on track replacement on the section,” he said.

A decision to revive the service from Feb 1 was reached after two-day talks between railway authorities of the two South Asian neighbours on Jan 6. It was also decided to sign an agreement on modalities of running the train and an Indian delegation is due here on Jan 23 for the purpose.

The replacement of 135 kms meter gauge track with broad gauge from Mirpurkhas to Zero Point (border), which is some 8kms from Khokhrapar, was started in mid-May last year. Simultaneously started both from the ends of Khokhrapar and Mirpurkhas, the track replacement was completed in the third week of December last year.

A decision to resume the rail link, severed during the September 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, was taken during the visit of President Pervez Musharraf to India in April last year.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has directed the railway authorities to complete the project by year end by extending the line for another 10 kilometres up to Munabao in Rajasthan to re-establish a second Indo-Pakistan train service.

The resumption of the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail link would minimize the journey between India and Pakistan to five hours. At present, people have to travel through Lahore.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has sought a report from the railways ministry about the Khokhrapar-Munabao upgradation plan.

Sources said on Wednesday the PM has directed the ministry to submit details about the work done on the section and the arrangements made to facilitate passengers so far.