Mardan station assets: PTI lawmaker seeks FIR against railways minister

MARDAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmaker has submitted an application with the local police to register a case against Federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique and other officials for allegedly shifting Mardan railway station assets to Punjab, sources said.

The sources said that Mohammad Abdus Salam Afridi, a lawmaker of PTI, wrote a letter to the station house officer (SHO) at City Police Station, stating that he had been informed that some employees of the railways allegedly wanted to steal the railway platform shelter and also damage the other assets.

He said a first information report (FIR) should be registered against the federal minister Khwaja Saad Rafique, Divisional Superintendent Railways Nasir Khalil and Station Master Mardan Mohammad Hussain for allegedly stealing the assets of the railway station and damaging the historical railway station of Mardan.

It may be mentioned here that Mardan Railway Station was established in 1937 by the then British rulers for easy movement of its troops and the last station on this track is Dargai in the Malakand district.

Later, Pakistan inherited this station after the partition of the subcontinent. Until the first PML-N government, it was a successful and profitable station and the track was used for the transportation of coal, wheat, essential commodities, tobacco, chemical fertilizers, etc.

The sources said that large warehouses were constructed at this station, which was later turned into rubble due to alleged corruption. This beautiful building of the British era later turned into an abode of heroin addicts. The station had many beautiful bungalows, a green belt, and a rest house, which wear a deserted look nowadays.

The sources said the commercial property was either leased cheaply or is still deserted and often the occupation mafia tried to seize its commercial property.

The sources added that the large warehouses that were recently leased out were turned into large shopping malls and some of them became shops of big brands. The PTI government decided to use this station for the promotion of tourism and former railway minister Sheikh Rashid visited Mardan and inaugurated a safari train from Mardan to Dargai.