The proposed Gul Train project took a leap forward on Tuesday when the presidents of Pakistan and Turkey agreed to further upgrade it so as to cover the distance between Ankara and Islamabad in just 11 days instead of 16 as envisaged earlier, when the idea was first floated by President Asif Ali Zardari last year. The project is also aimed at entering into a joint venture for locomotive manufacture in Pakistan for the special cargo train service. Presidential Spokesman Farhatulalh Babar told reporters the decision was taken during a special briefing on the proposed train project held soon after the delegation-level talks between the two presidents in Istanbul on the sidelines of the trilateral summit of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey.
CURRENCY SWAP: President Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Abdullah Gul also witnessed the signing of a currency swap agreement between the two countries that President Zardari described as a quantum leap in promoting trade and business relations between the two countries, and the opening of the door for similar agreements with several other countries in the region.
