NAROWAL: There is no let-up in stone-pelting incidents on moving trains between Lahore and Narowal as unidentified persons, once again, pelted a train with stones, disturbing the passengers.

There have been several incidents of stone pelting on Faiz Ahmad Faiz passenger train running between Lahore and Narowal. The same train was targeted with reports of injuries to passengers on Friday. The Pakistan Railways Police and administration failed to ensure the provision of safe travel facilities to the passengers.

Owais Tariq advocate, a resident of Saddar Bazaar, Narang Mandi, goes to Lahore daily for his practice. He says that on Friday, Sept 27, he was travelling by the Faiz Ahmad Faiz passenger train that departed from Lahore Railway Station at 8:30pm.

He was sitting on the seat in the third coach of the train when unidentified persons pelted it with stones near Shahdara railway crossing. He says a brick stone hit the pillar of the train stand before hitting him. Other passengers were also hit with stones. Tariq said such incidents happened many times before too but the railways police could not arrest the miscreants.

Amir Nadeem, a resident of Narang Mandi, has worked as a shopkeeper in Lahore for 28 years. He also travels by train daily. He was a witness to stone-pelting incidents near Badami Bagh market and Lotta Stop near the Shahdara Railway Station. He says shopping bags full of water, mud and dirt were often thrown on the passenger train.

Parvez Akhtar, in-charge of Railway Police Post Narowal, said they had received the information of stone throwing on the Faiz Ahmed Faiz train and the incident was in the area of the Lahore Railway Police Station.

Several attempts were made to contact Muhammad Hanif Gul, the divisional superintendent of Pakistan Railways, on his mobile phone for his version but no response was received.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2024