You should have quit after train tragedy, CJP tells Rashid

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court directed Shaikh Rashid on Tuesday to submit a business plan in two weeks to uplift Pakistan Railways, as he remarked the railways minister should have resigned after the train fire tragedy later last year.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali resumed hearing of a suo motu case initiated by former CJP Saqib Nisar pertaining to losses incurred by the Pakistan Railways.

The bench expressed displeasure with Shaikh Rashid over running of the organisation. The CJP asked the railways minister to inform the court about the October 2019 train fire incident that had killed 73 passengers. The inferno had broken out when apparently a gas cylinder brought by a traveller had exploded. “You should have submitted your resignation,” remarked the CJP after Rashid told the court that 75 people had been dismissed after the tragic incident.

Justice Ahmed said the court was informed a day earlier that two people were sacked. The CJP said only gatekeepers and train drivers were fired, and asked when would the senior ones be dismissed. The minister responded that the ministry would also fire higher officials. The CJP remarked the court was not seeing that happening as he (Rashid) was the highest ranking official.

Addressing the minister, Justice Ahmed said: “Do not show dreams to people as 18th century railway system is running in the country and there is plundering in the railways department.” Rashid said he was working 18 hours a day and had increased railways’ passengers by seven million.

The CJP said the entire railway system was running on favours even in 2020.The minister said the only solution to problems faced by Pakistan Railways was the ML-1 project which was a 14-year-old scheme, but had not yet been executed. Rashid pleaded the court for more time, adding he would resign if he did not meet the required standards. The CJP said ML-1 was not a conjuring trick which would fix everything. He stressed the entire department was politicised and nothing was functioning properly. “The stations and railway tracks are not in order. The freight trains are also not operating,” he remarked.

The CJP asked the minster to assess the situation of Karachi Circular Railways as well. “Being a seasoned politician, your performance should have been the best among the others, but your intuition is crumbling,” Justice Ahmed remarked.

The CJP said ideally revenue from railways should take the ministry out of debt and make it profitable. The bench asked the minister to present a business plan in the next hearing, adding if there was any deviation from the plan presented in the court, action would be taken. The apex court also summoned the minister and the secretary of planning in the next hearing.

The court also ordered that the six-kilometre portion of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) be completed and instructed the Sindh government to provide all assistance on the project.

Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned till February 12.Speaking to reporters outside the court, Rashid said he would take the railways forward as per the instructions of the CJP. Rashid also clarified the audit report referred to the Supreme Court earlier was an audit report from 2013-17, adding their report had not yet been released. “When our audit report is released, then we are answerable. This is the audit report of the previous government,” he said.