The National Assembly was informed today that Pakistan Railways is working on upgrading its infrastructure to increase transport capacity fivefold.
Responding to a question during Question Hour in the House, Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Muhammad Usman Awaisi said that 820 new high-capacity freight wagons and 230 passenger coaches are being inducted. He further said the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul train service is planned to resume by the end of this year.
The Parliamentary Secretary informed that the private sector is being encouraged to invest in the freight sector through track access and terminal development. He added that Pakistan Railways has successfully auctioned two cargo train operations running between Karachi–Lahore and Karachi-Multan-Faisalabad.
Replying to another question, Muhammad Usman Awaisi said ticket vending machines have been installed at fifty-seven major commercial stations for passenger facilitation. He said the facility for payment through bank cards will be made available by the end of the current financial year.
Responding to another question, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Nelson Azeem said that the government has adopted a comprehensive, multi-sectoral strategy for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. He stated that 84,421 registered HIV patients are currently living in the country. He informed the House that free antiretroviral therapy is being provided through a network of 98 centers nationwide.
Five bills were introduced in the House today.
These include; “The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2026”, “The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2026”, “The Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation (Amendment) Bill, 2025”, “The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electricity Power (Amendment) Bill, 2026” and “ The Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finances) (Amendment Bill, 2025.”
The Chair referred the bills to the standing committees concerned.
