PM wants political appointees out of railways

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked the Ministry of Railways to terminate the services of all the employees recruited in violation of merit. He said the reason behind the downfall of public sector enterprises was "political appointments". The prime minister said the government will make appointments on merit to improve governance and transparency.

Addressing the launching ceremony of four trains in Islamabad, he said the public sector enterprises had become loss-making entities due to political intervention and appointments made on personal connections in the past.

He said these organisations incurred a loss of Rs500 billion each year and added that in power sector alone the losses had reached Rs1,200 billion. Imran said ultimately it were the people who had to pay more for goods and services in order to compensate for the losses of public sector enterprises.

He urged Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to get rid of political appointees who were not contributing positively towards the department’s progress. Imran said train was the main mode of transportation for poorer and weaker segments of society and it will be improved.

Lamenting a lack of attention to this important sector by the previous governments, the prime minister said railway tracks had become old and outdated making journeys dangerous. "The loss caused by political appointments which are not based on merit is borne by the people," he said, adding that Rs500 billion worth of losses incurred by government corporations will eventually be cut by increasing the rates of consumer goods.

Khan asked the railways minister to remove the political appointees who had become a burden on the department. He said the railways minister was taking personal interest to improve tracks and condition of trains, so that people travel comfortably and reach their destinations on time.

He said the railways could become a highly profitable institution if people were appointed on merit. Imran observed that on the one hand state land worth billions of rupees, including 'enemy properties’ had been illegally occupied, on the other the country was paying Rs6 billion in interest payments on loans on a daily basis.

To remedy this, he said, the government was drafting a policy to utilise the occupied state properties and turn them into revenue-generating ventures. "We can sell several of these commercial properties to overseas Pakistanis and earn dollars to pay off our loans," Imran Khan said.

Imran Khan also touched upon Friday’s terrorist attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi and said the assault was a "well-thought-out plan by the enemies to sabotage Pakistan's trade agreements with China and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

He paid tribute to the security forces who successfully managed to prevent terrorists from entering the facility. Faisalabad Express will run between Multan and Faisalabad. It will make stops at Khanewal, Abdul Hakim Railway Station, Shorkot Cantonment, Toba Tek Sindh and Gojra. The train will include five economy class carriages, one AC standard carriage, one AC business class carriage and one AC parlour carriage or coach. The fare for the AC parlour is said to be Rs500.

Similarly, the AC business class fare will be Rs540 and AC standard Rs470 while a seat in the economy class will cost Rs260. It will depart from Multan at 7am to reach Faisalabad at 10.30am and then leave Faisalabad at 11am to reach Multan at 2.30pm. Shah Latif Express will depart from Dhabeji at 8.30am to reach Mirpurkhas at 11.40am and make stops at Jangshahi, Jhimpir, Kotri, Hyderabad, Tando Adam and Tando Allahyar. It will leave Mirpurkhas at 2.30pm to reach Dhabeji at 5.35pm. The train will have seven economy class coaches. The fare for Dhabeji to Hyderabad will be Rs140 and up to Mirpurkhas Rs200. Sindh Express is to run between Karachi (Cantonment Station) and Sukkur making stops at Drigh Road, Landhi, Hyderabad, Tando Adam, Shahdadpur, Nawabshah, Bandi Goth, Mehrabpur, Ranipur, Khairpur and Rohri.