ISLAMABAD: Visibly disturbed over the state of affairs in the country’s largest transportation network, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed observed on Tuesday that the railways minister should have resigned over the Oct 2019 tragedy that led to the loss of 73 precious lives.

Heading a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, the chief justice was referring to the incident of fire that broke out and engulfed a passenger train causing death of 73 people because a gas cylinder brought by one of the travellers had exploded.

Also consisting of Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, the bench had taken up a suo motu case related to the colossal losses suffered by the Pakistan Railways during the last five years. The case was initiated by former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar.

In line with Monday’s directives, federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed appeared before the court to claim some improvements he as the minister in-charge had brought about, but ended up causing another fellow cabinet member — federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar in whose department the Main Railway Line-One (ML-1) project has been stuck — to be summoned.

Minister ordered to submit business plan to improve PR affairs

The court however asked the railways minister to come up with a business plan in two weeks, suggesting schemes to uplift the railways department and convert it into a financially sound business entity.

The court made it clear that in case the business plan was not adhered to in future, the Supreme Court would initiate contempt of the court proceedings against the officials responsible.

The court also asked the minister and the secretary of planning to appear before the court and explain why no tender had so far been floated to launch the ML-1 project.

Part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the project aims to rehabilitate and improve the existing 1,860km ML-1 railway line connecting Karachi with Lahore and Peshawar.

The court also ordered the authorities to retrieve the encroached land meant for the Karachi Circular Railways within two weeks and that those people who would be evicted from the land should be rehabilitated at a suitable place in a proper manner.

The Sindh government was directed to cooperate with the railways department in its anti-encroachment drive to clear the land for the Karachi Circular Railways and warned that otherwise strict action would be taken against those who showed resistance in carrying out the orders of the apex court.

During the hearing the chief justice recalled the fire incident and wondered what action the railways minister had taken over it, also observing that it was impossible for the incumbent administration to run the railways and its officers employed people in consideration of pecuniary benefits.

Sheikh Rashid responded that his department had dismissed 29 individuals responsible for the tragic incident.

At this the chief justice said that those who had been fired must be low-ranking officials asking when the turn of the bigwigs and senior officers would come.

The minister promptly replied that the senior officers would also face responsibility soon.

“Apparently this is not visible,” the chief justice observed, saying the minister himself was a bigwig and he should have resigned.

At the outset when the court took up the matter, the chief justice asked the railways minister what he was doing (to improve PR affairs), adding that whatever the minister had done was before the court.

“We should better close this organisation if we cannot upkeep the system,” the chief justice said, adding that the department had neither proper locomotives nor tracks to run trains whereas the land the railways possessed across the country had been plundered and doled out to favourites.

The minister however denied the assertion by saying that he had not handed over an inch of the land to any individual and insisting that he worked 18 hours a day and would not hesitate to resign if he failed to come up to the expectation of the people.

He explained that the only solution to improve the quality of the railway tracks in the country was the implementation of the ML-1 project but the court wondered what magic this project would bring.

When the minister assured the court that the loss the railways department was suffering would end in the coming five years, the chief justice regretted that daily wagers were being employed after taking bribe.

The minister said the biggest burden financially bleeding the organisation was the hefty pension bill.

He that under his stewardship, the PR had increased the number of freight trains to 15 from earlier eight besides introducing 24 new trains as a result of which the volume of train passengers had increased to eight million. The entire system of the railways was also being computerised, the minister added.

The chief justice however asked the minister to put the Pakistan Railways, the most inept organisation of all - on the right track by bringing professionals since the bureaucrats had no skill to run an organisation like railways.

“You are the senior most minister of this administration and your ministry should be an example for others,” the chief justice observed while pointing to the railways minister.

Justice Ahsan also recalled that the railway land which had been taken over by the Country Club in Lahore was also recovered on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The case will again be taken up on Feb 12.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2020