Daily Times

KHYBER AGENCY: The Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce (PAJCCI) and Sarhad Chamber of commerce and industry (SCCI) senior official has demanded the federal government to launch a cargo train service from Peshawar to Karachi to boost up the exports of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Talking to reporters Zia Ul Haq Sarhadi, the senior vice president of PAJCCI has expressed that export cargo train from Peshawar to Karachi has been stopped since 2008 causing unemployment for hundreds of laborers and other persons working with custom clearance agents and other freight forwarding agencies. Zia Ul Haq Sarhdi said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was rich in export goods like gems, marble, carpets, honey, matchsticks and furniture. He added that due to the closure of cargo train from Peshawar the export of these goods was dropped off. He demanded the federal minister for railway Khwaja Saad Rafiq and minister of trade Khuram Dastagir to recommence the cargo train from Peshawar to enhance the export of goods from our region. He said restarting the cargo service would give multiple opportunities of employment to hundreds of the jobless workers who have suffered since 2008.