Tajik Air to start flights to Islamabad from June’
KARACHI: Tajik Air, the national flag carrier of Tajikistan, is all set to start its flight operations between Dushanbe and Islamabad from June, while Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would also fly between Lahore and Dushanbe, the date of which is yet to be finalised, said an official of Tajikistan.
Tajikistan is also in the process of starting issuing business and tourist visas to people of Pakistan from Karachi in the near future, he added.
“Tajik Air would start flying between Dushanbe and Islamabad from next June,” said Irshad Kasim, honorary consul general of Tajikistan, while quoting ambassador of Tajikistan to Pakistan, Dr Zubaydullo N Zubaydov.
Earlier, Zubaydov held a meeting with the officials of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) recently along with the honorary consul general and informed them about the latest plan of Tajik Air operations.
The envoy also discussed matters related to economic, business and trade ties between the two countries.
“Tajik Air has acquired Civil Aviation licence and proper track route to fly between the two countries,” he said, adding, “The airline will operate two flights a week from June, in the first phase, and will add Karachi and Lahore to its operation at a later stage.”
The two airlines would start flying to their new destinations in the aftermath of an understanding reached between President Asif Ali Zardari and his Tajik counterpart Imam Ali Rehmon in March, he said.
“Dr Zubaydov also informed the TDAP to extend full-fledged status to the Consulate General of Tajikistan in Karachi and to start issuing visas to the businessmen, as well as to the tourists very soon.”
“Initially, a visa councilor will be posted in Karachi and more staff would be added later on depending upon the volume of visa applications flowing in at the Consulate,” he said, quoting the Tajik envoy.
Tajikistan has also appointed honorary consul generals in Lahore and Peshawar after Karachi, Kasim quoted Zubaydov.
He announced to form Pakistan-Tajikistan Business Forum (PTBF) soon with an aim to boost bilateral trade and brotherly relations between the two countries and spearheading the Karachi Consulate.
The work is also in progress to set up a display centre of Tajikistan in Karachi for the introduction and promotion of Tajik products in Pakistan, he said, adding that the display centre would be a one room trading centre that would be extended further at a later stage.
Moreover, tripartite negotiations between Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan are going on for the transit trade agreement and construction of road linking Pakistan with Tajikistan through Wakhan, Afghanistan, he said.
As a follow up of a big trade delegation from Pakistan to Tajikistan arranged by the TDAP with the coordination of Tajik Embassy in Islamabad last year, the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) had already opened up its branch in Dushanbe and banking channel has been established, he said, adding that President Zardari and President Rehmon jointly inaugurated the NBP’s branch in Dushanbe during Zardari’s visit in March to attend Tajikistan’s 20th Independence Day celebrations and Nauroze.
Zubaydov said that Tajikistan is in the state of rebuilding after seven years of civil war. The country has, however, become politically and economically very stable under the leadership of President Rehmon.
He invited Pakistanis to visit Tajikistan for business, tourism, as well as Ziarat (visiting) of famous Saint Syed Ali Hamadani (RA) in Kulab.
He invited opening up a Pakistani restaurant in Tajikistan and offered business visa in this regard too. Cooperation in the field of textile manufacturing in Tajikistan is yielding visible results, he said, adding that a working group of the ministry of industries of Pakistan has traveled to Tajikistan in July 2011 for deliberation on the allocation of investment in the construction of the cement plant.
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