PM inaugurates new train, says it’s not railways’ job to nurse land

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said it was not Pakistan Railways’ responsibility to retain and look after land, as he praised the former minister Khawaja Saad Rafique for his work, especially recovering the illegally occupied lands.

He made the remarks at the inauguration ceremony of a refurbished Pak Business Express, a new train service with modern amenities. It will run between Lahore and Karachi.

The Pakistan Railways owns massive tracts of land across the country, which are located because of the massive track network. Some of which is very expensive, such in urban centres like Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Hence, these tracts are an obvious target for those involved in land grabbing business.

Read more: 14,000 acres of PR land encroached: Secretary Railways

The prime minister, during the event in Lahore, lavished praise on Saad Rafique and recalled how the former railways minister had worked on recovering land and improving the conditions of railway stations as well as service.

However, he also gave credit to the incumbent railways minister — Hanif Abbasi — who, he added, had been tasked with outsourcing different services.

Explaining his point, the prime minister said railways had pivotal role in public transport in the world, but he added that it wasn’t supposed to retain land — the comments in the Pakistani context.

Talking about the improved condition and services of Pakistan Railways including the digitised ticketing system, Shehbaz said provision of facilities to passengers was a top priority.

IT IS NOT AFFORDABLE

However, many people aren’t happy with the current state of affairs, given the rising fares offered by the Pakistan Railways.

They are of the view that trains have always been the preferred mode of transport for the low-income groups and introduction of luxury services in meaningless. The affluent can afford air travel or whatever they like, the critics say, adding that the service should be improved and made affordable for the poor segments of society.