NA panel calls for enhanced patrolling, jammer installation on trains

ISLAMABAD: A requisitioned meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Railways, presided over by MNA Ramesh Lal, issued directives on Friday for Pakistan Railways to enhance security measures. 

The Committee instructed the department to strengthen regular patrolling in sensitive areas and to install three jammers on every train to protect passengers from future incidents. The meeting addressed the recent Jaffar Express explosion, the management of railway land, and the Karachi Freight Corridor Project, among other issues.

Officials briefed the Committee on the Jaffer Express incident, informing them that on October 7, at 08:15 hours, the train was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED) near Sultan Kot Railway Station in Sindh. The attack resulted in five bogies being derailed and damaged the track. 

Seven passengers, including Pakistan Railways employees, sustained minor injuries and were shifted to Civil Hospital, Shikarpur, after police immediately reached the site. District administration and police from Sukkur, Larkana, and Shikarpur also responded to the site.

The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Railways Police revealed that the blast was carried out using a remote-control device and four to five explosives, and that the perpetrators have yet to be identified.

 He informed members that sensitive agencies are assisting in the probe and that joint patrolling with the Frontier Corps (FC) has been intensified to ensure track security.