The state of affairs of Pakistan Railways is a crying shame. Its freight trains are being stolen in broad daylight. Last month a bogy of train carrying copper worth millions of rupees was whisked away from Lahore and was found standing at a platform in Kharian but of course without copper. What is even more depressing is that the mastermind of the theft was no less a person than a serving army major. He has been detained and is being investigated. The involvement of the major has come as a great shock and it is hoped that strict disciplinary action would be taken against him if proven guilty. It is worth pointing out that some Railway officials were also a party to the theft of the copper-laden coach which partly explains why things are going from bad to worse. There is hardly any justification for delay in revamping the Railways. Had the crime not caught the attention of the media, it is quite possible that it might have been hushed up or the accused simply let off the hook. This daylight robbery certainly gives an impression that the scourge of corruption is not institution specific and could rear its ugly head whenever and wherever it would find an opportunity. Railways can still be saved from complete disintegration by plugging the loopholes for corruption and mismanagement. '