KARACHI:Members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Railways were on Tuesday briefed on several ongoing schemes including the Thar Rail Connectivity Project that aimed at transporting coal to upcountry..

Day one of the ninth meeting of the committee was held at the Divisional Superintendent’s office at the City Railway Station. The meeting was chaired by standing committee chairman Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan.

Although the Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi could not attend the meeting, it was attended by several Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and officers from the Pakistan Railways, who were briefed in detail about pressing matters related to railway infrastructure, operations, development projects, encroachments and leases of railways lands, etc.

The meeting commenced with a comprehensive briefing on the recent Jaffar Express train attack.

Railway officials brief standing committee on repair of tracks after Jaffar Express attack

In March, the Jaffer Express was attacked when the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed the Peshawar-bound train carrying 440 passengers, opening fire and taking hostages. Consequently, the security forces initiated a rescue operation that lasted two days. The train service was suspended after the railway track damaged in the attack.

The committee members were informed about the “swift” repairing and restoration of the train and tracks to resume its operations.

A significant portion of the meeting focused on the Thar Rail Connectivity Project, which was lauded as a potentially transformative initiative for regional economic development as it would transport rich resources such as coal from the Thar coal mines.

It was said that it is a fast-paced project that requires much funding and hence 50 per cent of the money should come from the Sindh government and 50pc from the federal government.

Further discussions were held on the proposal to initiate a special daily train service between Karachi and Hyderabad, aimed at offering affordable transportation for the public.

Renovation of tracks in Khairpur

A presentation on the renovation of the railway track and station in Khairpur district was also part of the meeting.

About the renovation, MNA Nafisa Shah said that a very small amount was used for the job, which did nothing much as major repairs are required in Khairpur. “Major repairs need a lot of money,” she said. She also showed her grievance over only six trains stopping at a district headquarter such as Khairpur.

“Mehrabpur is not a district headquarter but it has 30 trains stopping there,” she pointed out. She also urged the committee to look into the restoration and preservation of railway stations and the furniture there, most of which is precious heritage. “I can direct my constituency development funds for the renovation work of Khairpur Station but railways should also show its will and invest something for this purpose,” she said.

“Railways is our strategic asset and the Government of Pakistan should provide funds for it. Our country can only progress if the railways are working adequately,” she added.

The MNAs posed several questions regarding railway expenses, revenue generation, operational challenges, infrastructure maintenance, administrative decisions and pending legal cases involving railway officers.

The performance and competency of District Superintendent (DS) officers was questioned by MNA Waseem Qadir. He also wanted to know the reason behind the transfers and new postings of DS officers. There was an argument about the criteria of hiring railway officers as there is a dire need to hire officers on merit, who deliver and focus on punctuality.

It was also questioned whether officers removed over various complaints were quietly reinstated to the same positions due to a shortage of trained staff in the railways department.

It was explained to the committee by Pakistan Railways Secretary Mazhar Ali Shah that everything was not the fault of DS officers as they were having to do with an old infrastructure and passenger coaches that date back to 1964. “Besides,” he said, “the railways was going into loss 10 years ago. Today, we are making a profit, which speaks for the contribution of our staff including our DS officers,” he said.

‘Delay in payment of salaries, pensions’

There was also a question about the delay in paying salaries and pensions to railways staff. The secretary railways apprised the committee that the issue of delay in payment of salaries has been resolved. “But the pensions keep piling up and keep throwing us behind in payments,” he said.

“Pakistan Railways is the only federal government department whose pension is not given by the federal government. We were only given a grant in aid, which does not meet our demands. Therefore, I request the federal government to keep our pensions in their book as this will stop creating further liabilities for us,” he said.

Additional briefings covered renovation plans for major railway stations across the country, the possibility of approaching the Supreme Court of Pakistan to resolve the Shalimar Trust Hospital Lahore issue and the proposal to empower railways police with direct authority to act against encroachments.

Following the session, the Chairman of the Standing Committee, Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan addressed the media.

He reiterated the committee’s commitment to revitalising Pakistan Railways: “The Thar Rail Connectivity Project will be a great source of income for the government of Pakistan. The renovation of railway infrastructure will be undertaken promptly. A daily train from Karachi to Hyderabad and vice versa will provide relief to the common man,” he said.

“Illegal occupation of railway properties is being addressed and all encroachments will be removed soon,” he added.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2025