BALOCHISTAN’S railway system, once said to be the lifeline of the rather rugged province, is now in ruins, with 80 per cent of it effectively paralysed. This collapse is more than just a failure of infrastructure; it is a symbol of neglect, exacerbated by nature’s fury and the unrelenting shadow of terrorism.

The most recent blow came when the monsoon rains unleashed devastating floods, washing away a critical section of the railway tracks between Sibi and Harnai.

As such, this was not just a freak incident. The Sibi-Harnai train service had been suspended a month earlier, but, now, with the tracks gone, the prospect of restoration seems like a distant dream.

This disaster is the latest in a series of events that have crippled Balochistan’s railway network. Unfortunately, terrorist attacks have relentlessly targeted this system, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.

In the wake of these attacks, many bridges have been blown up, tracks torn apart, and stations reduced to rubble. The government’s response has been slow, underfunded and often too late. The result is a railway network that has been slowly choked into nonexistence.

Undoubtedly, the crisis is a reflection of a larger, systemic neglect of Balochistan’s infrastructure. While other regions of Pakistan have seen modernisation and development, Balochistan, on the other hand, has been left behind, trapped in a cycle of underdevelopment and decay.

Gulab Umid
Turbat

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2024