I vividly remember the day I took this photograph while en route to meet my school friend, Sadiq Akbar then posted there . The picture captures the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham, a place I have visited numerous times to engage in humanitarian work alongside the remarkable Dr. Asif Mehmood Jah, a true angel of our time.
Pakistan, as a nation, is blessed with abundant natural resources and inherited a significant infrastructure legacy from the British colonial era. Among these assets was an extensive railway network that extended all the way to Pak – Afghan border at Torkham. Regrettably, the railway tracks have been abandoned, replaced by trucks, leading to daily traffic congestion that causes hours of delays, resulting in substantial losses for traders on both sides of the border.
However, there is promising news on the horizon. Today, on the 18th of July 2023, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan are set to sign a joint protocol in Islamabad. The objective is to connect the Uzbek rail network with Pakistan Railways, fostering improved trade and connectivity in the region.
The proposed route for this connection will pass through Termiz in Uzbekistan, Mazar-i-Sharif and Logar in Afghanistan, and finally culminate in Pakistan via the Kharlachi border crossing in Kurram. This development brings hope and optimism for the future, as it opens up new avenues for trade and economic cooperation between the three nations.
While we celebrate this significant milestone, it is impossible not to lament the missed opportunities of the past. Had the colonial railway network been effectively utilized by the Pakistani government and its national railway system, which incurs billions of rupees in operational losses annually, it could have been a profitable enterprise decades ago. Nonetheless, we look towards the future with enthusiasm, as this tripartite agreement holds great promise for economic growth and development in Pakistan.
Let us celebrate our nation, Pakistan, with a bright future ahead. However, it is essential for us to also reflect on the need for visionary leadership to ensure that such opportunities are seized in a timely manner. May Pakistan flourish and thrive! Ameen 🇵🇰
