QUETTA, March 16: The Pakistan Railways suspended on Wednesday its services originating from Quetta because of non-availability of diesel.

“No passenger or goods train will leave from Quetta for Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Chaman from Thursday till further orders,” a senior official said.

Sources said that sale of tickets and seat reservation had been stopped at the Quetta railway station and other booking offices in the city. Dawn

“We have no stock of diesel in our reservoirs and other cities of Balochistan,” Maqbool Magsi, divisional superintendent of the railways told .

He said the sale of tickets had been suspended for Quetta Express, Jaffar Express, Bolan Mail and Chaman passenger.

He said the booking offices had been asked to cancel the reservations for March 17 and return the money. “There will be no booking in these trains till further orders.”

Mr Magsi said that efforts were made to arrange diesel for the train service but all attempts failed because of financial crisis faced by railways.

“Our diesel stock has dried up in Quetta,” another senior officer said, adding that he was not in a position to say when the train service would resume.