Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In a major development, Pakistan and Turkey are set to relaunch a freight train link via Iran starting coming Thursday (4 March) after a span of 10 long years, reports Economic Times.
Operated between 2009 and 2011, the freight train service was snapped thereafter. Now, on 4 March, resuming the service, the first train will be flagged off from Turkey. The train will then reach Islamabad's dry port on 16 March. The one-side trip will be completed in 12 days.
Thereafter, Pakistan is also likely to resume the train service on 19 March as it is presently said to be booking cargo for Iran and Turkey.
The train link runs between Islamabad and Istanbul, the capital cities of Pakistan and Turkey, passing through Zahedan in Iran. Interestingly, India and Iran are in talks to build a railway link from ChabaharPort to Zahedan.
It should be noted that over the years, Turkey has emerged as Pakistan's closest ally in the cohort of Islamic nations. Also, the resumption of the freight train service between the two Islamic nations comes at a time when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan led Turkey is vying to establish itself as the leader of the Islamic world and as a regional power with support from Pakistan.
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