Pak, China rail link to boost tourism in Pakistan

[Edevelop]

ISLAMABAD: The modern road and rail link between Pakistan and China will not only help boost trade and industrial activity in the region but will also help in promoting tourism in Pakistan, especially in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and coastal areas of Makran.

Pakistan and China have recently agreed to establish an economic corridor between Kashgar in China and Gwadar in Pakistan, This $18 billion joint venture will include road and rail links passing through the mighty Karakorum and Himalayas in the northern Pakistan

Elaborating the importance of this link for boosting fragile tourism industry in the country, President Sustainable Tourism Foundation Aftab Rana told APP that this road and rail route will pass through the most spectacular mountain ranges where we have world renowned high mountain peaks, glaciers and beautiful valleys.

He said improved accessibility created through this modern road and rail network will also attract large number of tourists from across the globe and especially from China which has already achieved the No 1 position in outbound tourism market in the world with over 70 million Chinese travelling abroad each year.

Aftab Rana said especially the rail route along the Karakorum Highway has great potential to become one of the top 10 rail journeys in the world because of the incredible landscape value of this region. Similarly the railway link between Kashgar and Gwadar passing through the mighty Karakuram will defiantly attract millions of tourists, foreign as well as domestic, he added.
He urged that while planning this rail link, the government should also pay special attention to develop the areas along the route with the tourism point of view.

"While developing tourism industry along this rail link, other businesses such as hotels, restaurants, transport, handicrafts, shopping, local recreational resorts and local entrepreneurs get simultaneously boosted and create thousands of new jobs and income generating opportunities for common people," he said.

He suggested that tourist destinations in Gilgit-Baltistan should be specially focused in the near future.This railway network will not only play a key role in the economic uplift of our country but will also open doors of prosperity for the people of remote mountainous areas giving boost to our sluggish tourism industry.

Pak, China rail link to boost tourism in Pakistan

 

[sur]

Has work been started on this project??? I mean on rail-track...

Could it be that india is escalating tension on borders to defer China from building rail-track with Pakistan...???

 

[naveen mishra]

Has work been started on this project??? I mean on rail-track...

Could it be that india is escalating tension on borders to defer China from building rail-track with Pakistan...???

forget indian part.....just see what china is supplying you....and how happy your railway locomotive diver and railway is happy with chines locomotive.........i am not saying any thing......you Pakistani view.........how much corruption is involve in chines deal

 

[Leader]

This track was visioned by Musharraf, but Iam not sure there is any progress going on it.

yes nawaz did approve the road link, or there is some related news in today's paper !

 

[Tangent]

...this is good for chinese industry...the products will be lot cheaper now....
people will be happier now....

 

[Fracker]

Has work been started on this project??? I mean on rail-track...

Could it be that india is escalating tension on borders to defer China from building rail-track with Pakistan...???

I saw some news on track work on China's side, also some colonies building in Gilgit for this joint venture.

No what I think they are doing something in occupied Kashmir side and to divert world attention they are doing this. They wanted to stop the dam which Pakistan is building in that area. But couldn't impose too much pressure on Pakistan. So may be that is the reason. What ever it is, this will simply sink their own ship. Pakistani needs to no bother about the dogs barking otherside. and continue to progress on this project.

 

[niaz]

We Pakistanis always like to think of big schemes and start jumping with joy without getting to grips with the hard facts. First and foremost we need to tackle terrorism as nothing will happen unless there is peace in Pakistani cities. Would you like to visit a country where your life is in danger?

In my view such projects are publicised only to fool the man on the street; very seldom such schemes deliver what was promised. For example Gwadar port construction was started in 2002. First phase was completed in 2006. Where is the Pakistan - Central Asia export corridor? It is already 7 years but we have yet to see even partial benefits? It does not look likely that in my lifetime Gwader will the global trading hub that was projected by the various regimes.

Geological survey of Pakistan discovered Reko dik copper deposits way back in 1978! It is now nearly 40 years, where is profit from the so called $1-trillion wealth in the ground. Thar coal was discovered in 1991 after 20 years did we still see a single MW of power coming out of it? Must we always live a celibate life in the hope of 72 houris if & when we get into heaven?

There are always genuine reasons why the schemes do not deliver. But if so; isn’t the onus of taking everything into consideration on the people who waste time, energy & money on such outlandish schemes.

Ground reality is that Pakistan Railways is on its knees. Railways can’t even pay its electricity bills. GOP doesn’t have enough funds to buy new locomotives and few trains run on time. Railway Minister in the outgoing PPP Gov’t admitted it on the media that Railways is bankrupt and could close down; in the same breath he also said that it won’t be the end of the world as Saudi Arabia did not have Railway.

I heard on one of the TV discussion that there are no funds available to clear the clogged drains which results in water stagnating after each flood and increase diseases such as Gastro & Denge fever. Don’t you think that instead of the grandiose schemes we should put our house in order first?

IMHO instead of beating the drums about China - Pakistan Rail link and how much wealth it will generate, first priority of the Nawaz Gov’t should be to revitalize Pakistan Railway and neglected projects such as Karachi Circular Railway and take steps to combat yearly floods.

Enough of the mega projects and grandiose schemes! We want money spent on power generation and improving infra-structure within Pakistan and revitalizing Pakistan industry.

 

[oiltrader]

I guess some more TTP infrastructure targets .

 

[INDIC]

...this is good for chinese industry...the products will be lot cheaper now....
people will be happier now....

Recent article mentioned that only tunnels will cost $18 billions, the entire cost will go much higher.

 

[Spring Onion]

We Pakistanis always like to think of big schemes and start jumping with joy without getting to grips with the hard facts. First and foremost we need to tackle terrorism as nothing will happen unless there is peace in Pakistani cities. Would you like to visit a country where your life is in danger?

In my view such projects are publicised only to fool the man on the street; very seldom such schemes deliver what was promised. For example Gwadar port construction was started in 2002. First phase was completed in 2006. Where is the Pakistan - Central Asia export corridor? It is already 7 years but we have yet to see even partial benefits? It does not look likely that in my lifetime Gwader will the global trading hub that was projected by the various regimes.

Geological survey of Pakistan discovered Reko dik copper deposits way back in 1978! It is now nearly 40 years, where is profit from the so called $1-trillion wealth in the ground. Thar coal was discovered in 1991 after 20 years did we still see a single MW of power coming out of it? Must we always live a celibate life in the hope of 72 houris if & when we get into heaven?

There are always genuine reasons why the schemes do not deliver. But if so; isn’t the onus of taking everything into consideration on the people who waste time, energy & money on such outlandish schemes.

Ground reality is that Pakistan Railways is on its knees. Railways can’t even pay its electricity bills. GOP doesn’t have enough funds to buy new locomotives and few trains run on time. Railway Minister in the outgoing PPP Gov’t admitted it on the media that Railways is bankrupt and could close down; in the same breath he also said that it won’t be the end of the world as Saudi Arabia did not have Railway.

I heard on one of the TV discussion that there are no funds available to clear the clogged drains which results in water stagnating after each flood and increase diseases such as Gastro & Denge fever. Don’t you think that instead of the grandiose schemes we should put our house in order first?

IMHO instead of beating the drums about China - Pakistan Rail link and how much wealth it will generate, first priority of the Nawaz Gov’t should be to revitalize Pakistan Railway and neglected projects such as Karachi Circular Railway and take steps to combat yearly floods.

Enough of the mega projects and grandiose schemes! We want money spent on power generation and improving infra-structure within Pakistan and revitalizing Pakistan industry.

cant say much about local projects with corrupt thekidars but I can say with conviction that big projects in Northern Areas even impossible ones are being fast competed by WHO. These include road links between Pakistan and China.

 

[Pakistanisage]

Get the Security situation under control before making infrastructure and tourism plans. Nooners are clueless as usual. This is what happens when low Caliber and IQ people become head of States. Nawaz Sharif and Zardari won't get a job of Door men in the US.

 

[Mani2020]

tourism really? only insane will tour Pakistan after what had happened to the other tourists couple of months back.....stop dreaming ....until the law and order situation gets better ...no one's gonna give a damn abt Pakistan .....even if you build world's eighth wonder here

 

[Armstrong]

@niaz Bhai - What is your Solution then ?

I'm increasingly inclined towards the possibility of privatizing our White Elephants & our Earthed Gems (Reko Dek, Thar etc.) in a four way ownership deal - Employees, Government, Private Investors & a Public Offering on the Stock Exchange !

The assumption is that our national assets wouldn't end up becoming a part of some regressive capitalistic framework in which a handful of people become filthyyyy rich while the rest languish in marginal improvement over the national income level !

 

[niaz]

@niaz Bhai - What is your Solution then ?

I'm increasingly inclined towards the possibility of privatizing our White Elephants & our Earthed Gems (Reko Dek, Thar etc.) in a four way ownership deal - Employees, Government, Private Investors & a Public Offering on the Stock Exchange !

The assumption is that our national assets wouldn't end up becoming a part of some regressive capitalistic framework in which a handful of people become filthyyyy rich while the rest languish in marginal improvement over the national income level !

In most countries Railways run on loss. This happened in the UK too before they privatized the lines. However I am not in favour of privatizing Pak Railway. Railway is the poor man’s transport. IMO Railway should have only two qualities; it should be cheap and run on time. Compared to the cost of constructing good quality roads, a small subsidy to the rail transport is easily justified.

I have personally travelled on Mari Indus Express between Lahore & Sargodha countless number of times as a poor student and remember it fondly. When Lalu Parshad can fix Indian Railways I am sure an honest hardworking Minister can do it in Pakistan as well.

Understand Pakistan Railways was well on its way to better things when Sheikh Rashid was Railway Minister. Why not try him again?

 

[SBD-3]

Get the Security situation under control before making infrastructure and tourism plans. Nooners are clueless as usual. This is what happens when low Caliber and IQ people become head of States. Nawaz Sharif and Zardari won't get a job of Door men in the US.

Meray bhai phir bethay raho 10-15 saal. Extremism and terrorism will not go away in year let alone in days and months like most of our media anchors and so called analysts argue. The issues are complex and would not be solved overnight.