ISLAMABAD, 30 November 2005 — "We are set to open the second railway route with India on Dec. 31 this year," said the Railways Minister Mian Shamim Haider, "and it will enable passengers and traders of Sindh and Bombay to travel to and from Pakistan."
In an exclusive interview with Arab News here, he said the two countries will be using a double gauge track that is set to be opened. The two countries were connected by a single gauge railway track from the Raj days. The route was closed after 1965.
Pakistan and India first opened the Lahore-Amritsar route with the start of the 'Samjautha Express." This helped Indian Sikhs to visit the Nankana Sahib and Punja Sahib Hasan Abdal sites.
With the Khokhrapar-Mona Bao line set to be opened in December, people from Sindh and Karachi will be able to avail this new rail facility. Trade between Pakistan and India will also increase.
This is another indication that the ties between the two nations are warming. India recently opened its consulate in Karachi and Pakistan too will be opening its consulate in Bombay soon.
