ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Energy Minister Awais Leghari has said that Russia and Pakistan are set to be linked by a freight train line next year as bilateral talks expand between the two countries.
The statement comes months after Pakistan’s ambassador to Moscow, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, expressed Islamabad’s readiness to join the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-kilometer route connecting Russia and Central Asia with India via Iran, at the International IT Forum in Khanty-Mansiysk.
In an interview with Russian broadcaster RT this week, Leghari said the initiative would mark an important milestone in enhancing connectivity between Pakistan and Russia.
“As early as March next year, the first South-North train trial run will transport goods from Russia to Pakistan via Iran and Azerbaijan,” he told the broadcaster.
Leghari said talks were also ongoing between Moscow and Islamabad regarding the establishment of direct air service between the two countries.
“We are looking at these three or four major initiatives,” he said. “We are looking at linkage of Pakistan and Russia through airline services, the aviation sector, that makes it easier for our people to interact with each other, businesses to flourish and interact and communicate with each other.”
Pakistan and Russia, once Cold War rivals, have warmed up to each other in recent years through regular business and trade interactions as Islamabad seeks to enhance its role as a transit hub for landlocked economies in Central Asia.
Both countries this week signed eight memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the fields of health, trade and education, the Pakistani energy ministry said, amid Islamabad’s efforts to boost foreign investment and enhance cooperation to stabilize its fragile economy.
The agreements were signed during the 9th Inter-Governmental Commission meeting in Moscow between Pakistan and Russia, with Leghari leading the Pakistani side at the talks to explore bilateral trade options.
Islamabad’s ties with Russia also saw significant improvement last year after Pakistan started purchasing Russian crude oil at a discount. Geopolitical tensions triggered fuel prices to more than double in Pakistan last year, forcing the country to opt for cheaper sources of fuel.
In 2023, Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Russia reached $1 billion. This was an increase from 2022, when Russia exported $505 million to Pakistan and Pakistan exported $75.8 million to Russia.
Islamabad says Russia and Pakistan to launch freight train service next year
https://arab.news/85c6s
Islamabad says Russia and Pakistan to launch freight train service next year
- Awais Leghari says the North-South freight train service will connect Pakistan to Russia via Iran and Azerbaijan
- Cold War rivals Pakistan, Russia have warmed up to each other in recent years through regular interactions
Pakistan vaccinates over 44.6 million in final anti-polio drive of 2025
- Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases so far this year, underscoring fragile progress against virus
- Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has vaccinated 44.6 million children against poliovirus in the last nationwide immunization campaign of the year, health authorities said on Monday.
The seven-day anti-polio campaign was launched on Dec. 15, targeting children under the age of five. It was conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), which oversees eradication efforts.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries where transmission of the wild poliovirus has never been interrupted, posing a risk to global eradication efforts. The virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis, has no cure and can only be prevented through repeated oral vaccination.
“The final National Polio Eradication Campaign of 2025 has been successfully concluded,” the EOC said in a statement. “During the national polio campaign, vaccination of more than 44.6 million children was successfully completed.”
Giving a breakdown of the numbers, the EOC said approximately 22.9 million children have received polio drops in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, around 10.6 million in Sindh, more than 7.1 million in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and more than 2.54 million children in Balochistan.
In Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, over 450,000 children received polio drops while in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, approximately 274,000 children have been vaccinated, the NEOC said.
In Azad Jammu & Kashmir, over 714,000 children received polio drops.
Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases so far in 2025, underscoring the fragility of progress against the virus. The country recorded 74 cases in 2024, a sharp increase from six cases in 2023, reflecting setbacks linked to vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and access challenges in high-risk areas.
Health officials say insecurity remains a major obstacle. Polio workers and their security escorts have repeatedly been targeted in militant attacks, particularly in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, complicating efforts to reach every child.
A gun attack targeting a polio vaccination team in Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur district on Dec. 16 left one police constableand a civilian dead.
Natural disasters, including flooding, have also disrupted vaccination campaigns in recent years.
“Polio workers and security personnel who served during the national campaign are the true heroes of the nation,” the EOC said.
