Key facts
- Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the Reko Diq to Port Qasim railway would be finished before the end of 2029.
- Iqbal said a groundbreaking on a new rail section would take place within a few months.
- Iqbal said dedicated security divisions would be deployed to address concerns delaying mining projects.
Pakistan plans to complete a railway linking the remote Reko Diq copper-gold mine to Karachi's Port Qasim before the end of 2029, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on November 12, 2026, according to an interview with Nikkei Asia published on November 13.
Iqbal said ground would be broken on a new rail section within a few months. He also said dedicated security divisions would be deployed to handle concerns currently delaying the mining projects.
The report did not give the length of the planned railway, its cost, or the route it would take. It also did not name the security divisions or say when they would be deployed.