KARACHI: The launch of Jaag Railwaye Jaag, a book by veteran labour leader and Central Chairman of the Pakistan Railways (PR) Workers’ Union Manzoor Razi, was held at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi (ACPK).

Mr Razi, who has been associated with the railway labour movement for several decades, is known for his advocacy for workers’ rights, permanent employment and opposition to the privatisation of public-sector institutions.

Speaking on the occasion, he said he had been planning to write the book for years and finally completed it during a two-month stay in Canada.

He said trade unions had waged strong struggles against the privatisation of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC), Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and other institutions, and that the struggle continued.

He claimed that there was no corruption during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s era, and that corruption began afterwards.

Presiding over the event, veteran journalist Hussain Naqi said that the “cockroach movement” in Bangladesh and India offered a clear lesson for Pakistan’s two major political parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party.

He stressed that the need of the hour was to bring young people to the forefront so that they could play their due role in the years ahead.

“Pakistan has experimented with various models over the past 78 years, and it is now time to give the youth a chance. Only young leadership can bring about real change in this country,” he added.

He also said that national identity must be preserved, and that “repeated civil and military martial laws had only aggravated the country’s problems”.

Guest of honour Akhtar Hussain Advocate said that a strong political system could not exist without strong labour organisations.

He recalled that until 1978, several institutions including the PR were profitable and said that the railways alone employed 100,000 workers and operated 350 trains. “Today the number of trains has declined, and thousands of workers have been laid off,” he said.

He stressed that an alliance of all progressive parties was essential to move Pakistan forward, and added that Mr Razi’s book had exposed many important facts.

Senior journalist and analyst Tauseef Ahmed Khan said that there was a need to examine the reasons behind the decline of trade unions.

Human rights activist Mehnaz Rehman, labour leader Nasir Mansoor, Dr Jaffar Ahmed, Sherbano Kamran, Muhammad Ahmed Shah, Rao Muhammad Naseem and Zahra Khan also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2026