Railways system suffered a lot over a period of time and naïve rulers and decision-makers should be blamed for the collapse of railways in Pakistan. The rulers preferred to launch the National Logistic Cell, a subsidiary of the Pakistan Army, to deny Pakistan commercial cargo for the railways making it sustainable financially. It was a disservice to the people and the country by plunging the Pakistan Railways into a serious financial crisis. As a result of this crisis, Pakistan railways viability had been risked and no major efforts are being made to revitalize the Pakistan railways in the service of poor people and the country as a whole. Railways all over the world earn profit from commercial cargo service as a single engine drag 70 bogies loaded with cargo making it a cheap mode to goods transport in Pakistan and elsewhere in the world. The naïve rulers and decision-makers had deliberately tried to wind it up the Railways for the benefits of thugs and dishonest transporters. Years ago, the Muslim League Government had tried to close the railways system to benefit its corrupt constituents in transport business. But the Muslim League Government was afraid of the public backlash and thus Railways had been saved from the final and deadly attack. The Government had virtually patronized rampant corruption in the Pakistan Railways and the railway engines were sold as scrap to dubious foundries in Lahore. There were reports of stealing diesel, pilferage in railway revenue and spare parts. Some former generals had sold the land of Pakistan Railways to private people at throw away prices only to inflict maximum harm to the Railways and its system working for over 150 years.
There is massive corruption in railways and maximum efforts should be made to curb corruption so that it should earn profit and revitalize the railways in the interest of the poor people. The National Logistic Cell should be confined to take the cargo of the defence forces only disallowing it from picking up commercial cargo from any part of Pakistan. Pakistan Railways had served the Pakistan Army as a national institution by providing all possible facilities and concessions in travel and transporting defence cargo at nominal charges in the past. There was no need of launching the NLC to harm the interest of Pakistan Railways and the poor people.
There should be one time major investment to improve and revitalize Pakistan Railways in the service of the nation and the people by inducting new railway engines, new bogies, both passengers and cargo, and double track of railway line by constructed to make its operations more efficient. Since poor people are in need the service of Pakistan Railways as the cheapest mode of public transport, it service should be improved by running and operating trains on time. New train service should be launched in all directions.
In Balochistan, the Quetta-Zahedan Section should be rebuilt on international standards so that it match the railway system of neighbouring Iran and trains, both for passenger and cargo, should operate between Balochistan and Iran boosting trade and commerce. Similarly, Gwadar Port city should be linked with the Pakistan National Railway network at Kuchaki near Naushki and also with Afghanistan via Nimroz Province catering the future needs of land locked countries of Central Asia. The Government of Pakistan should seek financial and technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank. The ADB had offered an investment of over 11 billion dollars for development of railroad infrastructure linking Central Asian countries with the Gwadar Port. The old offer should be revived so that Gwadar is used as the major hub of economic activities in the whole region. There should be two-way construction of railway lines one to connect the national railway system within Pakistan and secondly connecting with rail and road the central Asian countries, mainly Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
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