Pakistan Railways was once considered a good means of travel for passengers, not just because of its wide network, but also because of its cost-effectiveness, and compared well with road transport, not least in respect of its relative safety. However, in goods transport it was considered well ahead, for its delays in delivery were compensated by the cheapness with which it was characterised. Pakistan inherited at Partition a Railways system which was the envy of the world and a network which was unparalleled. However, the Railways today present a dismal sight, and are constantly on the verge of closure, while the failure to pay employees or pensioners was not the first time. This has been despite the Railways being regarded as crucial to any war effort, in the ferrying of goods, of particular importance always, but especially in the case of a country which has so much narrow length, but also so much depth. The defence aspect apart, the Railways is to serve the ordinary man, which might help explain the neglect it suffers. Simply put, the ruling elite no longer uses the Railways to travel or even to move the goods. Instead of regarding the Railways as a precious national resource, it has been misused and disregarded, and a circular debt has been allowed to develop between the Railways and the oil companies, which keeps a gun loaded at the Railways temple, keeping it under virtually permanent threat of closure. It might not seem to have anything to do with the Railways, but the woes of the oil companies with the power plants mean that for them, the Railways difficulties are just a sideshow, not the main problem. In the midst of all this, the ANP nominee Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour continues to hold on to the Railways Ministry. He has not only tried to avoid responsibility for his maladministration, but also shown no sign of tendering the resignation that would indicate that he is taking the crisis seriously. Instead, he is apparently busy fulfilling the agenda why his party took the portfolio: as part of its pre-Independence pro-Indian agenda, the ANP wants to obtain at least the rail right of passage for Indian goods to Afghanistan, though it wants that right by road as well. The PPP government never tires of drumbeating its friendliness to the common man. If the Railways go under on its watch, it will have allowed the destruction of the only means of transport for both people and goods that the ordinary man can afford. Apart from the general election just around the corner, that is a disaster no government can afford.