Azadi Train leaves Peshawar for Karachi

Independence Day

KP governor, others see off train carrying cultural floats, galleries

PESHAWAR: The Azadi Train, a customised train prepared in connection with the Independence Day, left the Peshawar Cantonment Railway Station for Karachi on Friday.

Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Inayatullah and Pakistan Railways authorities saw off the train that left Peshawar at about 11:20am. Tight security measures were taken around the railway station on the occasion.

The special train left Rawalpindi station on August 11 and reached Peshawar the same day at about 4pm. The train has been prepared by about 200 employees in 25 days, said a railway employee.

Talking to The News, Umar Riaz, Divisional Transportation Officer and Focal Person for Cantt Railway Station, said the train depicts various cultures of Pakistan and would reach the port city of Karachi on September 5.

The special, travelling at a speed of about 50 kilometres per hour, carries cultural floats and galleries having portraits of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistani Movement and Inter-Services Public Relations photos.

According to the schedule, the train will stay overnight at various stations, including Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sahiwal, Multan, Samma Sata, Sukkur, Sibi, Quetta, Nawabshah, Hyderabad, Karachi, Larkana and Jacobabad.

The Azadi train is a customised train prepared jointly by the Pakistan Railways, Ministry of Information Broadcasting and National Heritage and Inter-Services Public Relations. The train would carry 18 coaches, of which six have floats projecting the culture of four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir; six coaches house art galleries.

A Peshawarite at the ceremony, Jawad Ahmad, said that he had brought children to the venue and they enjoyed it much. Another participant, Asim Khan, said that such special trains should also be run on occasions of March 23 and 6th September and arrangements should be made in those trains for tourists so that they enjoy it.

Students, faculty delegation leave for Quetta: A delegation of 30 students and faculty members of public and private universities from all over the province left Cantonment Railway Station Peshawar for Quetta in Karwan-e-Yakjehti on August 11.

Students from the University of Engineering and Technology are also part of the delegation, which will travel from Peshawar to Quetta through the special train. The travel was arranged by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, in collaboration of Pakistan Army, in order to celebrate 70th Independence Day of Pakistan. Dr Mohammad Younas, focal person and chairman of Department of Chemical Engineering at the UET, was also present to see off the delegation.