ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed authorities to hire international economic and legal experts to advise the government on international railway projects and to improve regional rail connectivity.
Pakistan’s government has been struggling to overhaul its railways sector, which has been running in losses and depending on frequent government bailouts. The railways, with its old tracks and bridges, has not tried to fully privatize but has outsourced parts of its operations.
Pakistan is involved in several regional railway projects, such as the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway project and the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul (ITI) railway project, linking Pakistan to Iran and Turkiye via the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
Sharif chaired a meeting on Saturday to review reforms related to the railways sector, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
“The prime minister instructed that international-standard legal and economic experts be engaged for Pakistan Railways, particularly for regional connectivity and international train link projects,” the PMO said.
