ISLAMABAD: The Railways Ministry has informed the Senate Standing Committee that they have insufficient funds for repairing the 59-kilometer railway track from Peshawar to Torkham.
It was stated that the estimated cost for the repair would be PKR 1,982 million.
According to Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, the track was laid in 1926, and due to the severe floods in 2007, it got damaged.
He added that the route has a very important role in regional trade activities.
However, the Senate Committee has suggested that the Railways Ministry consult the Ministry of Tourism as the project would also aid in tourism.
Furthermore, the Secretary of Railways mentioned the Afghan Transit Project worth $8.2 billion that will connect Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
We need these transnational railways projects to be completed immediately just as the train track to Türkiye has become functional and operational. The funds required for this must come by selling the millions of acres of land our so-called leaders have “inherited” from our government. Pakistan is a majority Sunni Muslim nation with the majority following the Hanafi persuasion. We don’t believe state land can be inherited by families, nor can we grant them to people so that they can build private palaces on them. There’s no doubt in our minds about the ruling regarding the land of Fadak. Feudalism cannot flourish using the minority view in Islamic jurisprudence. There’s no justifiable, legal precedent in Islamic history that allows leaders to acquire state land for personal use, generation after generation. They can handover swathes of land to the Syeds in Qom but in Pakistan, it can’t be allowed. The funds must come from land reforms in Clifton, Raiwind and Bani Gala. The rest will come from feudal lords. Finally, Bahria town will fund our Bahria. We need an aircraft carrier.