No wonder, abrupt announcement on Saturday, grounding six more train services - two with immediate effect and four before the end of July - caught many an intending traveller by surprise as he stood helpless waiting for the train that never arrived. But, in the informed circles, there was not much of surprise, given the widespread speculation that powerful actors are in the game to ensure the slow death of Pakistan Railways in order to justify its privatisation.
Over the past year or so, some 76 trains, including eight mail/express services stand suspended, and the suspension of 26 more trains is said to be on the cards. The reason proffered in support of this large-scale immobilisation of PR services is that the railways is making huge losses, as its losses now stand at Rs 26 billion, of which the now six suspended services account for a loss exceeding Rs 1.5 billion.
Interestingly, among the latest casualties is the Shalimar Express that was plying between Lahore and Karachi and was always booked many days in advance. Until political pressures for stoppages in-between extended its travel time, the Shalimar Express was earning 15-plus percent profit to the Pakistan Railways - so much for the hollowness of the claim that the suspended train services were running in loss.
The Pakistan Railways is rightly described as the life-line of Pakistan. As it showcases Pakistan, in all of its shades and diversities, it strengthens national cohesion and integration. And, it makes travel possible for some 65 million passengers every year at affordable rates. Are we planning to leave these 65 million Pakistanis at the mercy of greedy sharks in the private sector or hand them over to the transporters' mafia? This is one of the most economical means of travel for the ordinary people of Pakistan, as it also caters to the needs of far-flung areas, where no profit-loss conscious businessman would try reaching.
May be a few of these suspended or stopped services were introduced by the image-hungry last regime, but where were these top bosses occupying the high chairs in the PR Headquarters then, who are now advising train suspensions? Surely, they have tasted the money privatisation brings - and rightly, the Sindh government has objected to the hush-hush railways real estate saleouts. Unless the railways minister and his subordinates make a cogent public case for the suspension of train services, nobody would buy the explanation that accumulating losses forced the suspensions.
And if the suspension announcement is part of the pressure tactics to force the federal government to shell out the proposed Rs 5-billion bailout, in that case too, there has to be a thorough appraisal of the circumstances that have bankrupted the Pakistan Railways. There is no denying the fact that the PR management has not been able to change its mindset over many decades. While its life-style remains embedded in the colonial days, its capability to embrace new technological advancements remain stunted. Its failures are spectacular. It could not cut down the fuel supply charges, although due to the short supply of fuel, engine failures have become endemic. The track modification is not up to the requirement.
Also, ticketless travelling remains unchecked. Then, there is the need to rationalise the recruitment, retirement and housing policies. If the same vintage railways system can be such a big success story in India, one fails to understand why it is going down the hill in Pakistan. Frankly, the latest suspension of train services tends to make a mockery of the leadership's claims to connect Gwadar with the national network and with China, Iran and Central Asia. Pakistan Railways is a national asset; as it is at risk of being hijacked in the name of its economic failure, there has to be a wider national debate to fully restore its image and rehabilitate its inherent potential.