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       ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Railways came under sharp criticism at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Railways on Monday due to repeated non-compliance with the committee’s direction to disclose details of alleged mismanagement and corruption in one of the largest state-owned organisations.

       Due to continued lack of transparency, the committee referred the matter to the privilege committee which will now review whether the withholding of information constitutes a breach of parliamentary privilege.

       “It seems increasingly clear that the Pakistan Railways is deliberately withholding vital information from this committee,” said the committee’s chairman, Senator Saifullah Khan.

       There were sharp observations from lawmakers, particularly Senator Shahadat Awan who criticised the railway authorities’ repeated failure to provide necessary information about actions taken against corruption, in the fifth consecutive meeting of the committee.

       Due to continued lack of transparency, Senate panel refers matter to privilege committee

       He said the committee had previously set a deadline for the railway authorities to present details of the action taken against corruption, but the latter failed to comply with the directive.

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       “Despite several reminders, the railway authorities have not delivered required details, leaving us with no choice but to take this issue to the next stage,” Senator Awan said.

       While noting that the railway officials had cited a large number of cases pending in courts, NAB and FIA as a reason for the delay, he asserted that there was no excuse for the ‘lack of transparency’.

       NAB and FIA representatives present at the meeting informed that all cases referred by Pakistan Railways for enquiry have already been completed, except a few which have been recently referred by the ministry.

       According to Senator Awan, the railways is currently involved in numerous legal disputes, with cases pending before both civil and sessions judges, some of which have been indefinitely postponed.

       “The land dispute is another serious issue,” he said, revealing that 13,615 acres of railways land had been occupied, of which only 1,193 acres were retrieved. He said that the railways failed to take decisive action despite the land being worth millions of rupees.

       Senator Awan criticised both past and present governments for their lack of sincerity in addressing the challenges facing the national rail service. “None of the previous or current administrations has shown any commitment to reforming Pakistan Railways,” he lamented.

       The committee members also expressed concern about discrepancies in the information provided by the Pakistan Railways’ top officials.

       Senator Awan said should the railways continue to withhold information, he would take the matter into his own hands by making the information public. “If they do not provide necessary information today, I will ensure that the details I have are made public,” he warned.

       Senator Awan also condemned the railways’ response to the Quetta Railway Station blast, noting that not a single senior official visited the site of the incident.

       Ghotki accident probe

       Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee pointed out that name of a BS-19 officer, Tariq Latif, who was the divisional superintendent of Pakistan Railways in Sukkur at the time of the deadly train accident at Ghotki in June 2021 and was included in the inquiry case of the incident, was sent on deputation to the National Highway Authority as member of the inspection team in BS-20.

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       However, secretary of the Ministry of Railways said that after the incident the officer was issued a show cause and an inquiry against him is pending. The committee chairman expressed surprise how come the officer was sent on deputation to another ministry while the inquiry was still pending.

       He regretted that even after three years, the enquiry had not been completed yet. He directed the repatriation of Tariq Latif and also decided to write a letter to the secretary of establishment for the same.

       It was also recommended to the ministry of railways to expedite the inquiry of the Ghotki train accident case.

       The committee was told that the Pakistan Railways CEO who was appointed during the caretaker government was still working in the same capacity. The committee lamented that the CEO’s appointment had been made on a temporary basis.

       The committee lamented that even after the directions of the committee to make Ghotki station a stop for Tezgam Express and Rehman Baba trains, the order has not been complied with.

       Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2024