DUSHANBE, November 1, 2011, Asia-Plus – On Monday October 31, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Afghan Minister of Public Works Abdul Qudus Hamidi, and His Highness the Aga Khan, founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), performed the foundation stone ceremony for the Shouroobod Bridge.
According to AKDN Tajikistan, the bridge, the fifth to be built in partnership with the AKDN, will connect the Shouroobod district of Khatlon province in Tajikistan with the Khohon province of Afghanistan. The ceremony was also attended by the German Ambassadors to Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Since 2002, AKDN has constructed four bridges — at Darvoz, Tem, Ishkashim and Vanj. Today they serve as the primary transport links between Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Oblast and northern Afghanistan. As integral parts of AKDN’s multi-sector cross-border strategy, they are key conduits for humanitarian assistance, commerce and socio-cultural exchange opportunities in these remote and isolated areas.
Ismailimail 