Pakistans state owned transportation industry, rail, air and road is in the process of disintegration and collapse. Railways has already hit rock bottom, and PIA is rapidly catching up with it. As for road transport industry, the state has already distanced itself from it and NLC which is a subsidiary of Defence services is involved in thousands of missing containers controversy and has replaced the more economical goods train, depriving cash starved railways of much needed revenues. The most common elements which have contributed to collapse of all these are mismanagement, rampant corruption, cronyism, pilferage and wrong choice of controversial men to key executive assignments. The national airlines Maintenance Repair and Overhaul has been outsourced to companies, whose poor performance is exhibited by ever rising technical defects that have led to unprecedented cancellations and delays of flights. PIAs former MD hired on contract an American national of Pakistani origin as DMD, who has been instrumental in these controversial contracts and procurement of technical spares at highly exaggerated prices. PIAs top management and key departments were handed over to men with controversial background, who had one common factor, all held foreign nationalities, with majority having American passports. Pilferage in revenues, procurement and cronyism are the main causes for PIAs predicament. At a time when cash starved PIA is unable to maintain its existing fleet, the state owned airline, the ministry and CAA have surprisingly given permission to foreign airlines to carry Pakistani passengers. Indiscipline amongst the top executives was displayed by the Director Marketing doing a circus act on U-Tube and this indiscipline has infected the whole airlines human resource. GULL ZAMAN, Peshawar, September 28.