Museum documents 150-year history of Pakistan Railways, rumbling through modern times

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Updated 15 March 2024
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Museum documents 150-year history of Pakistan Railways, rumbling through modern times

  • Pakistan Railway Museum, located at Islamabad’s Golra Railway Station, has two galleries and large collection of artifacts
  • Museum is home to steam locomotives, royal saloons associated with Lord Mountbatten, Jinnah, Maharaja of Jodhpur

ISLAMABAD: On a pleasant spring afternoon earlier this month, passengers stood waiting as the Karachi-bound Awam Express blared a horn to announce its arrival at the elegant Golra Railway Station in the suburbs of Pakistan’s federal capital, Islamabad.

Besides around a dozen trains that stop at the small, neatly-kept junction daily, it is also home to the Pakistan Railway Museum, whose grey sand stone walls hold inside them the 150-year-old history of the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan.

The museum has two galleries, 18 locomotives and coaches, and a saloon which was once used by India’s last viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, and Pakistan’s founder and first governor general, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The huge collection of artifacts detailing the history of railways in the Indian subcontinent includes a kerosene heater belonging to Mountbatten, vintage railway police guns, a punching machine for tickets, signal sticks and lamps, flags, drinking vessels, and a morse code machine.

Other items in the collection include surgical instruments used at the railways hospital, relief bogies as well as bells, kerosene lamps and a Neal’s ball token machine, captured from the Khemkaran station during the India-Pakistan war of 1965. A long pendulum by Gillet & Johnston Croydon, London, 1899, is another treasured item.

“The royal saloon of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah is one of the finest and one of the best saloons in our collection,” Noman Fazal, the museum’s curator, told Arab News.




An 1826 steam locomotive Rx 207 on display at Pakistan Railways Heritage Point in Golra Sharif railway station on the outskirts of Islamabad on March 6, 2024. (AN Photo)

The museum also has steam locomotives belonging to foreign governments, including Canada and India. Another saloon at the museum was gifted by the Maharaja of the Indian State of Jodhpur to his daughter on her wedding.

“We have one saloon which [is] specifically associated with Maharani [princess] of Jodhpur,” Fazal said. “According to the railways’ record, it was gifted by Maharaja Jaswant II.

“Jodhpur was a princely state in India, so at that time the Maharaja gifted a wedding ceremony gift to his daughter, a whole saloon, JR-5.”

“HISTORY OF ENTIRE RAILWAY SYSTEM”

In the heyday of Pakistan’s railway raj, trains were a popular mode of travel used by the wealthy and working classes alike, with liveried bearers carrying trays of tea, and pressed linen sheets and showers in the first-class carriages of some services like the famed Khyber Mail.

Today, the services have little of that old-world charm. Indeed, for decades now, Pakistan’s rail service has been plagued by scandal and mismanagement, though it still remains a popular mode of transport and vital link connecting the country’s cities and towns. Most of the infrastructure is colonial-era, built under British rule before it was handed over to Pakistan at independence in 1947.

Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, Pakistan Railways owns 7,789 kilometers of operational track across the country, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger services and covering 505 operational stations.

The Golra Railway Station was built in 1881 and named after the nearby village of Golra, famous for the shrine of a renowned saint, religious scholar and poet, Pir Mehar Ali Shah. The Pakistan Railways ministry established the museum at the station in 2003.




A passenger train arrives at Golra Sharif railway station on the outskirts of Islamabad on March 6, 2024. (AN Photo)

Several officers, most prominently Divisional Superintendent Ashfaq Khattak, worked tirelessly to put together the collection, rummaging for months and months through railway storerooms to collect artifacts of historic significance, according to the 35-year-old curator.

Fazal, who was appointed curator on a contractual basis in 2016, helped establish the second gallery in April 2018 and continues to sort artifacts to date with two assistants. While railway stations in Pakistan’s northwestern Attock Khurd town and the southwestern city of Quetta have collections of some historic rolling stock, the museum at Golra is the only formal railway museum in the South Asian country, Fazal added.

The first gallery of the museum is housed in a building built in 1881 when the British first constructed the station.

“If you see in Gallery I, we have one Neal’s ball token machine, it’s a war victory,” the curator said, referring to an electro-mechanical instrument provided at stations on single line railway sections, ensuring safety in train operations by dispensing tokens, which were handed over to train drivers as authority to enter a block section.

The ball was a “permission bell,” which a station master would give to a train driver, signaling that he could take the train forward on a particular railway track, Fazal explained.

“Without that ball, no train can proceed on the railway track,” he said. “So, this is an important thing for viewers and visitors.”

In the second gallery, established in 2018, a section is dedicated to the railways engineering department and showcases how the railway and its many bridges and tunnels were built.




Visitors arrive at Pakistan Railways Heritage Point in Golra Sharif railway station on the outskirts of Islamabad on March 6, 2024. (AN Photo)

Another section focuses on the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and shows refugees migrating to Pakistan from India, the curator said.

Waheed Mehmood, a 38-year-old gallery assistant, said the museum remained open from 9am to 4pm throughout the week and an individual ticket cost Rs50 ($0.18).

“My job is that whichever people come, foreigners, staff from embassies, students from Pakistani colleges and universities, we brief them about every single thing at the museum,” Mehmood said.

“We have worked very hard here, if you see in the gallery, it shows the entire railway system, when it started.”

Nur Adiana, a professor of finance visiting Islamabad with a group of tourists from Malaysia, said she had loved visiting the museum for its rich history.

“In Islamabad, this is the first tourist site that we visited,” Adiana told Arab News.

“When I read [about] all those things, when they explained about, you know, all those bells that they use and all the locomotives, I love it because those are antiques for me.”

Inta Norisah, a visa consultant who was part of the tourist group, said she had learnt about the museum from a tour agency and visiting it had been a “good experience.”

“The government [has] preserved the place so well,” Norisah said. “It is a good experience for me to see things [from the times] before your [Pakistan] independence until now and all the things that they used for the trains.”


Karachi TacoCop: Senior police officer runs Mexican food cart after dark

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Karachi TacoCop: Senior police officer runs Mexican food cart after dark

  • DIG Usman Siddiqui Sombrero is behind the counter at taco cart in Bukhari Commercial Area and Seaview
  • Tacos, corn or flour tortillas filled with meat, vegetables, condiments like salsa or sour cream, are a novelty Pakistan

KARACHI: As evening settles over Karachi, a white and green rickshaw-turned-food truck named Sombrero parks quietly on the city’s bustling Seaview beach. 

Soon, the aromas of spiced meat and soft corn tortillas begin emanating from the cart, suggesting a seasoned chef at work.

But the man behind the counter is a top police officer with bullet wounds and decades of service in Pakistan’s most volatile regions.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Usman Siddiqui has spent 23 years chasing kidnappers, leading raids on criminal hideouts and running anti-corruption and narcotics operations across Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Now, in a surprising second act, Siddiqui and his wife run a food cart, serving Mexican tacos, corn and flour tortillas filled with meat, vegetables, and condiments like salsa or sour cream.

“We made these tacos at home and they turned out to be really good,” Siddiqui told Arab News. “Friends encouraged us to set up at the Karachi Eat festival in 2022 and the response was immense.”

The idea eventually grew into Sombrero, first launched as a delivery service and then as a street food cart stationed in the Bukhari Commercial Area and at Seaview.

Each evening, Siddiqui and his wife, Hubna Usman, personally oversee its operation, ensuring everything from prep to quality control is handled with care.

“She takes the truck out at 6 or 630pm. It’s here [at Bukhari] till about 9-930pm and then it goes to Seaview McDonald’s until 1am,” Siddiqui explained.

FROM THE FRONTLINES TO THE FRYER

Born in Shikarpur, a historic city in Sindh, Siddiqui joined the police force in 2002 and has since held key positions, including Inspector General of Balochistan Prisons, Director General of Narcotics Control, and Director of Anti-Corruption. He has also served as Senior Superintendent of Police in seven districts, including two stints in Balochistan.

Much of his work has involved high-risk assignments, including the rescue of kidnapped children and operations against organized crime.

“The most satisfaction I get is when I rescue kidnapping victims, especially kids,” Siddiqui said. “Someone’s child is kidnapped. It’s a very tormenting situation for the entire family.”

He also survived a gunbattle in 2015 in which nine fellow officers were killed.

“I took a bullet in my arm,” he recalled quietly. “It was a very difficult encounter.”

Though few expect a police official to run a food cart, Siddiqui said cooking has always been his passion.

“I cook myself, even when I’m with my family at home,” he said. “There are certain things that I cook better than most of my staff, even if they’re trained professionals.”

AUTHENTICIY

Mexican cuisine, especially tacos, caught the couple’s interest after friends asked for a themed dinner.

“There was a lot of space for Mexican food,” Siddiqui said. “Nobody is doing it here, right? Nobody is doing it right.”

Indeed, tacos remain a novelty in Pakistan.

“Me and Usman both tried this recipe a hundred times to come closer to Mexican food,” said Hubna Usman, a former banker. “It was Usman who told me, ‘Yes, this is the final product.’ Because he’s a foodie, I listened to him.”

Their children were also involved in the early days of the business.

“Initially, it was all of us setting it up, me, my kids, and my wife. We used to drive the rickshaw ourselves. We used to wait on orders ourselves,” Siddiqui said.

Now the cart is run by trained staff but Siddiqui still joins at least once a week.

“Once a week, at least, we’ll come and assemble it ourselves or cook it ourselves”

Despite the late hours and his demanding day job as DIG of the Sindh police’s Rapid Response Force, Siddiqui insists the food cart is a labor of love.

“I can stay in the kitchen for two, three hours and cook without being distracted,” he said. “I like it when people enjoy my food and appreciate it.”

Customers agree.

“It’s actually really good because the flavors are really good. Especially the hot shell. It’s amazing,” said Zarian Turab, a regular at Sombrero. “Mexican food is difficult to find in Karachi. But they’re doing justice to it.”

Another customer, real estate professional Asad Ameen, said he had never tried Mexican food before discovering the cart.

“I often come here to Seaview for food and snacks, and I discovered Sombrero. I’ve tried their tacos and they’re absolutely delicious.”

Despite calls to “localize” the menu, Siddiqui remains firm on authenticity.

“This is about 80 to 90 percent authentic,” he said. “You will never see me making chicken tikka pizza tacos for you because that’s the local taste. It doesn’t work that way.”


Pakistan vows to continue teamwork, coordination with Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2026

Updated 17 min 24 sec ago
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Pakistan vows to continue teamwork, coordination with Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2026

  • Pakistan sent over 115,000 Hajj pilgrims under both government and private schemes to Saudi Arabia this year
  • Saudi Hajj ministry praises “exceptional” measures undertaken by Pakistan for its pilgrims, says Pakistani religion ministry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Hajj mission met a high-level Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah delegation on Monday to discuss the successful completion of this year’s pilgrimage, the Pakistani religion ministry said, vowing to continue the same spirit of teamwork and service for Hajj 2026. 

This year’s Hajj pilgrimage took place from June 4 to June 9, drawing millions of worshippers to Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan sent more than 115,000 pilgrims under both government and private schemes. Pakistan’s religion ministry said earlier this month that it is finalizing preparations to launch early registration for both private and government Hajj 2026 schemes to streamline the pilgrimage process. 

The Saudi delegation visited the Pakistan Hajj Mission in Makkah to convey their thanks and congratulations on the successful completion of Hajj 2025, Pakistan’s religion ministry said in a statement. The delegation commended the exceptional arrangements and services provided to Pakistani pilgrims, it added. 

The visiting delegation included Dr. Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat, the deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah, Eyad bin Ahmed Rahbini, assistant deputy minister for Hajj operations and Dr. Badr Muhammad Al-Solami, the director general of Hajj affairs.

“During the meeting, both sides emphasized the importance of continuing the same spirit of service, coordination and teamwork for Hajj 2026, with a shared commitment to enhancing facilities for pilgrims,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said. 

MoRA said Dr. Mashat praised the Pakistan Hajj Mission for its professional capabilities, sincere efforts and the arrangements it had undertaken for pilgrims. He described the initiatives taken for the service of Pakistani pilgrims as “exemplary and worthy of appreciation.”

Pakistan’s Director General Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro appreciated the Saudi delegation’s visit. He highlighted the Saudi Hajj ministry’s guidance and cooperation in the smooth execution of Hajj operations, the religion ministry said. 

Soomro presented a commemorative shield to the Saudi delegation as a token of gratitude and goodwill at the end of the meeting, MoRA said.

“The gesture symbolized not only appreciation for their visit but also the hope for continued bilateral cooperation in future Hajj endeavors,” the religion ministry said. 

Pakistan began its post-Hajj flight operations on June 11 with the arrival of a Pakistan International Airlines flight, PK-732, in Islamabad carrying 307 pilgrims. The flights are expected to conclude by July 10.


Superstar Mahira Khan criticizes India’s ban on Pakistani celebrities’ social media accounts

Updated 19 min 58 sec ago
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Superstar Mahira Khan criticizes India’s ban on Pakistani celebrities’ social media accounts

  • India blocked access to social media accounts of Pakistanis following a plunge in relations last month
  • Khan insists she loves her Indian fans, emphasizes role of artists in forging cross-border connections

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani top actor Mahira Khan has spoken out against India’s ban on Pakistani celebrities and social media accounts, calling it a “political game” and emphasizing the role of artists in building cross-border connections.

India banned the social media accounts of Pakistani celebrities and influencers in early May, days before the two nuclear-armed countries took part in their worst military confrontation in decades, trading artillery fire, missile strikes and drone attacks for four days before the US brokered a ceasefire on May 10. 

New Delhi’s measures to ban Pakistan accounts came in response to India’s allegations that Islamabad was involved in an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 were killed. Pakistan denies involvement and has repeatedly called for an international probe.

When asked what she thought about India’s ban, Khan said she had “zero reaction” to it and still loved her fans in India.

“People are people, with politics it has nothing... Well, eventually it does relate to it, obviously. But it is a political game,” the actress told Independent Urdu in an interview. 

Pakistan’s telecommunication authority responded with measures of its own on May 7, announcing it had blocked 16 YouTube channels and 32 websites from India for spreading “anti-Pakistan propaganda” and disseminating false information.

Khan said she did not believe in banning art, wondering why artists were the first to bear the brunt of “political problems” between nations. 

“Because artists … and art is that thing that connects people,” Khan said. “So, the first thing you ban is this. So that this thing dies, there is no more love.”

The Pakistani actor described artists as “powerful” and the “soft power” of any country. 

Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid actors from Pakistan and the recipient of several accolades, including seven Lux Style Awards and seven Hum Awards. She has also made a mark in international cinema, most notably in the Bollywood flick ‘Raees’ in which she stared alongside Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan in 2017.

In addition to acting, Khan promotes social causes such as women’s rights and the refugee crisis and is vocal about issues such as child abuse and sexual harassment. Khan has been a national and global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 2019.

While the ceasefire between India and Pakistan persists, tensions continue to simmer as New Delhi says it will continue to hold in abeyance a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan. The treaty guarantees water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers originating in India.


World Bank appoints Bolormaa Amgaabazar as new country director for Pakistan

Updated 45 min 54 sec ago
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World Bank appoints Bolormaa Amgaabazar as new country director for Pakistan

  • New director takes helm as World Bank rolls out $40billion decade-long development plan
  • Appointment comes amid economic pressures and calls for deeper reform under IMF loan

KARACHI: The World Bank has appointed Bolormaa Amgaabazar as its new country director for Pakistan, effective tomorrow, Tuesday, succeeding Najy Benhassine who had held the position since 2020.

Amgaabazar’s appointment comes as the World Bank launches a major new 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with Pakistan, committing up to $40 billion in combined support from its financing arms. The CPF, approved earlier this year, will focus on tackling child stunting, improving education, strengthening climate resilience, and supporting structural reforms to boost private sector-led growth.

“The World Bank and Pakistan have a long-standing partnership that has benefited millions of people over generations,” Amgaabazar said in a statement. 

“I look forward to deepening our engagement with the federal and provincial governments, local institutions, civil society, the private sector, development partners, and other stakeholders.”

A Mongolian national, Amgaabazar joined the World Bank in 2004 and has worked in East Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She previously held leadership roles in the Bank’s offices in the Kyrgyz Republic and, most recently, Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Prior to joining the Bank, she worked in international development in Mongolia and Southeast Asia.

“We will continue to support Pakistan to address some of its most acute development challenges including child stunting, learning poverty, its exceptional exposure to the impacts of climate change, and the sustainability of its energy sector,” Amgaabazar added.

Since the World Bank Group started operating in Pakistan in 1950, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the main lending arm of the Bank, has provided over $48.3 billion in assistance. The International Finance Corporation, which focuses on private sector development, has invested approximately $13 billion to advance private sector‑led solutions, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement to encourage foreign direct investment, has provided $836 million in guarantees. 

The current portfolio for IBRD, IFC and MIGA in Pakistan includes 106 projects and a total commitment of $17 billion.

The country has teetered on the brink of economic crisis for several years and economists and international financial institutions have called for major economic reforms.

Pakistan is currently under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund bailout program, which requires the country to boost government revenues and shore up external sources of financing, much of which comes from loans from China and Gulf nations.


As PM urges new tourism push, Swat river tragedy raises alarm over tourist safety

Updated 30 June 2025
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As PM urges new tourism push, Swat river tragedy raises alarm over tourist safety

  • 13 tourists from family of 17 swept away in Swat River on Friday during rise in water levels caused by monsoon rains
  • Rains and floods in 2022 inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed Pakistan’s tourism authorities to take immediate steps to boost the country’s international profile as a travel destination, including launching a global branding campaign, creating special tourism zones and attracting long-term investment in the sector.

While the prime minister did not refer to it during a Monday meeting on tourism development, his comments come just three days after a deadly flash flood in the scenic Swat Valley killed 13 members of a single tourist family.

According to rescue officials in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Swat is located, 17 family members were swept away in the Swat River on Friday during a sudden rise in water levels caused by monsoon rains. Twelve bodies had been recovered as of Sunday, with search operations ongoing for the final missing person. The incident drew widespread condemnation in the media and online over what many called a slow response by emergency services.

“Pakistan’s tourism sector holds unlimited potential to earn foreign exchange,” the prime minister said at Monday’s meeting, according to a statement from his office.

“God Almighty has blessed Pakistan with natural resources and timeless beauty.”

Pakistan offers a diverse range of tourism attractions, drawing visitors with its dramatic landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture.

From the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush in the north, home to some of the world’s highest mountains like K2, to the ancient ruins of Mohenjo-Daro and Taxila, the country blends natural beauty with archaeological significance.

The Hunza, Swat, and Skardu valleys are popular for trekking, mountaineering, and scenic retreats, while cities like Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad offer a mix of Mughal architecture, bustling bazaars, colonial-era landmarks, and modern urban life.

Religious tourism is also growing, with sites such as Kartarpur for Sikh pilgrims and the Buddhist ruins in Takht-i-Bahi. Pakistan’s coastline along the Arabian Sea, its deserts, forests, and diverse cultures make it a unique destination with year-round tourism potential.

Sharif directed the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation to move swiftly on plans to showcase the country abroad as a tourism brand, stressing public-private partnerships and stronger federal-provincial coordination to develop tourism infrastructure across the country.

“With snow-covered mountains, forests, rivers, as well as plains and desert areas, our country is not behind any nation in the world in terms of tourism,” Sharif said.

“Under the vision for national development, we will place Pakistan among the world’s leading tourist destinations.”

Officials at the meeting briefed the prime minister on proposals to promote medical tourism, develop recreational areas and improve access to northern tourist regions. 

Sharif emphasized encouraging domestic tourism alongside international promotion.

“Special measures should be taken to encourage domestic tourism and the arrival of local tourists at recreational spots,” he said. “Planning should be done to ensure long-term investment in the tourism sector.”

Since Friday’s tragedy in Swat, videos widely shared on social media have showed tourists stranded on rocks midstream, shouting for help as floodwaters surged. 

Survivors have widely said rescue services took hours to reach the scene.

The incident has sparked criticism over disaster preparedness in tourist areas.

The disaster was part of a broader wave of flash flooding across northern Pakistan last week, which has killed at least 32 people, according to rescue agencies.

Weather officials have warned of above-average monsoon rains this year, raising further concern over the vulnerability of tourist destinations in mountainous areas.

Forecasters say they cannot rule out a repeat of the “extreme situation” seen during devastating floods in 2022 when rains inundated a third of the country, killing 1,737 people and causing widespread destruction.