Russia and Pakistan are working to launch their first freight rail service connecting Moscow with Karachi and Faisalabad, Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P Khorev said on Monday.
According to the Russian ambassador, the proposed service would operate in both directions along the Moscow-Faisalabad and Moscow-Karachi corridors, creating a new freight connection between the two countries.
Khorev said Belarus could also potentially be included in the project, expanding the scope of the proposed regional rail network.
He noted that the implementation of the project had been postponed several times due to escalating geopolitical tensions in the region during 2025 and early 2026.
The two sides are currently finalising the service agreement and identifying companies in countries along the proposed routes that are interested in transporting their goods through the planned rail links.
On the other hand, Russian nationals will now be required to complete biometric verification for their sponsors through the PakID application to complete the visa application process.
This announcement was made by the Embassy of Pakistan in Russia. The embassy has made it clear that visa applications submitted without the sponsor’s biometric verification will not be processed.
The embassy again urged the applicants to comply with the updated requirements for a smooth process. The embassy has also clarified that Russian citizens can only apply for tourist visas for Pakistan through the online visa portal of the Ministry of Interior.
As part of the application process, the applicants are required to submit a valid passport and a clean photograph.
Multiple entries are allowed on the tourist visa and it is issued for 90 days. The embassy also explained that whether a visa will be issued or not completely depends upon the decision of the Government of Pakistan.
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