ISLAMABAD (Associated Press of Pakistan) – Pakistan and Tajikistan on Tuesday expressed willingness to build railway link from China to Gwadar Port through Tajikistan and Afghanistan for proper utilization of the facilities already available at Gwadar Port.

They agreed to work together towards this end in a quadrilateral format including China and Afghanistan, said a message received from Dushanbe.

These views were shared by Federal Minister for Communications Dr. Arbab Alamgir Khan with Prime Minister of Tajikistan Oqil Oqilov and Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Hamrakhon Zarifi during his meetings with the Tajik dignitaries.

The Pakistani Minister briefed Prime Minister Oqilov and Foreign Minister Zarifi on the fruitful discussions he had yesterday with his Tajik counterpart, Hakimov Nizom, regarding confluence of ideas and plans on air and surface connectivity between Pakistan and Tajikistan and regional road and rail corridors.

Arbab Alamgir congratulated both Tajik leaders on the forthcoming 20^th Independence Anniversary of Tajikistan and conveyed the best wishes of the President, the Prime Minister and the people of Pakistan to the Tajik nation.

Tajik Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said that the Tajik Government highly valued its existing relations with Pakistan and was keen to further enhance people-to-people contacts, trade and tourism between the two countries.

The Minister for Communications will visit the Ishkashim city in the Gorno-Badakhshan Province of Tajikistan tomorrow to see the area from where road link may be established between the two countries through Wakhan corridor to Chitral.