Envoy calls for Pakistan, Turkey cargo train service

KARACHI: Turkey has expressed its interest in operating a cargo train to transport goods between its country and Pakistan, said a diplomat on Thursday.
Turkish Consul General in Karachi Murat M Onart, in his meeting with the office bearers of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), said this train service will reduce the transport time by one-third.
Onart said it normally takes almost a month to transport goods from Pakistan to Turkey via sea.
“Turkey wants to resolve this problem by starting a train service for transportation of goods between Islamabad and Istanbul which could reduce transportation time to 10 days only but the train service seems difficult to manage,” a KCCI statement quoted him as saying.
“When I came here (in Pakistan) there were only three flights a week with no cargo flight but now every day there are flights of Turkish Airlines with two cargo flights per week.” The consul general also stressed on the need a free trade agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Turkey.