ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday said the suspension of key services including the Bolan Mail, Khushhal Khan Khattak Express, Bulleh Shah Express, and others is not an act of prudent administration but a dramatic surrender to the very crises this government has failed to address.
“When a national institution must slash services merely to keep itself afloat, it raises the question whether the government is managing the railways or simply managing its own narrative of managed decline,” the party observed, underlining that this latest cut comes against the backdrop of decades-long attrition at the Pakistan Railways, as reports indicate that around 106 trains were terminated during the 2010–2011 period alone due to financial distress and fuel shortages, with further reductions of 57 trains between 2018 and 2021, and an overall 50% decline in passenger operations during 2011–2020.
“Successive governments have presided over this gradual dismantling, but the current regime has accelerated the retreat with remarkable consistency,” the party remarked. It specifically highlighted the discontinuation of trains on routes such as Jhang, where services were halted on the grounds that the routes were not profitable and diesel costs had become unsustainable. “It was, and remains, the fundamental responsibility of the government to ensure the operational and financial viability of these services through sound policies, adequate investment, and efficient management. Instead, they have chosen the path of least resistance eliminating the very facilities that millions of poor and middle class citizens depend upon for affordable travel,” the PTI said.
