KOHAT: A two-member team of senior consultants of National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak), which is currently on a visit here, has said 158 kilometres of broad gauge railway track will be built between Kohat and Kharlachi border point in Kurram tribal district for transporting coal from Afghanistan.

Talking to Dawn here on Sunday, senior economists Mohammad Ali and Khurram Rehman said the land for laying the railway track would be bought from Thall to Kharlachi border point.

They said the railway line would also boost the economies of both the countries in the long-run as it would also be used to export cement, meat, dry and fresh fruits, furniture, livestock, textile, etc to Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics.

They revealed that the railway track would be a coal import-specific project but gradually would be used for imports and exports. They said the railway track would be connected to coal-rich provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar and Herat.

They said at present the railway track between Kohat and Thall was of small gauge, which would be replaced.

The Nespak consultants also elaborated that the coal import through Torkham border would be shifted to Kohat because of the zigzag nature of the track and enormous rush.

KILLED: A young girl was killed and three women were injured by rivals over a land dispute in Qasimkhel area of the Darra Adamkhel tribal subdivision on Sunday, the police said.

According to an FIR registered with the police, Hidayatullah and his sons, Sajjadullah and Ikramullah along with two others forced their entry into a house and started firing. As a result, Kainat, daughter of Ataullah, died on the spot. Three women, Yasmeen Bibi, Tehmina Bibi and Rabia Bibi sustained bullet injuries.

The three women were later referred to Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, in precarious condition.

The police got registered a case on the complaint of Attaullah and started a search for the accused, who managed to escape from the scene after the incident.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2023