The Kohat Tunnel ( ur, , ''Kohat Sarang'') is a

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

under the Khigana Mountains between

Kohat District Kohat District ( ps, کوهاټ ولسوالۍ , ur, ) is a district in Kohat Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Kohat city is the capital of the district. History Mughal era From the early sixteenth century the history of Ko ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

and Frontier Region Kohat in the

Federally Administered Tribal Areas , conventional_long_name = Federally Administered Tribal Areas , nation = Pakistan , subdivision = Autonomous territory , image_flag = Flag of FATA.svg , image_coat = File:Coat of arms ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The tunnel carries northbound and southbound traffic along

N-55 National Highway N55 may refer to: Bus routes * N55 (Long Island bus) * London Buses route N55 Roads * N55 road (Ireland) * Indus Highway, in Pakistan * Romulo Highway, in the Philippines Other uses

* BMW N55, an automobile engine * , a submarine of th ...

( Indus Highway) under the

Kohat Pass Kohat Pass ( ur, ) is a mountain pass in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, between the cities of Kohat and Peshawar. The pass traverses the Khigana Mountains, which stretch from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas towards Attock. ...

. The tunnel is also referred to as the ''Pak-Japan Friendship Tunnel'', as the tunnel was constructed in assistance with the Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan.

History

Construction on the tunnel began in 1999, and opened to traffic in June 2003. As part of the developing Indus Highway system, the tunnel serves as a shorter, alternate route to the

, situated between the cities of

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

and

Kohat Kohat ( ps, کوهاټ; ur, ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century ...

. The new route decreases the time required to travel through the Kotal Pass by about 20 minutes. The main advantage of the tunnel is that long bodied vehicles can now use the Indus Highway whereas previously the hairpin bends on the Kotal Pass made it impossible for such vehicles to travel. It also helps alleviate traffic congestion, improve traffic safety and promote economic development. The tunnel was at the center of a military confrontation between the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

and pro-

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

militants in early 2008. The militants had taken control of the tunnel around 24 January, after hijacking trucks carrying supplies and ammunition for security forces in

South Waziristan South Waziristan District ( ps, سويلي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) was a district in Dera Ismail Khan Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before splitting in to Lower South Waziristan District and Upper South Waziristan District and t ...

. On 27 January, Pakistan Army brought the tunnel back under control of the security forces, after "fierce fighting" involving

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

helicopter gunships An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament they a ...

and heavy machine guns during which 24 militants were reported to have been killed.

Features and specifications

*Total project cost: *Length of north section: 7.7 kilometres *Length of south section: 22.20 kilometres *Black topped: 7.3 metres *Shoulders: 3.0 metres

References

Wars involving the Taliban Tunnels completed in 2003 Japan–Pakistan relations

Tunnels in Pakistan {{Pakistan-transport-stub