Railway facing 4bn crises to settle pension of their retired employees

Abdullah Malik

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing committee on Railway was briefed by the officials of the Railway Ministry and told that they are facing 4 billion rupees crises to manage the employees’ pension while other payments are also required to manage electricity and gas billings.

The official while briefing the committee added that currently sixty eight thousand employees of different categories are serving while the number of pensioners is 128000. The committee was told that in current fiscal year seven months the ministry made payments of 21 billion rupees to their retired employees while 4 billion further required to get rid of unrest of the retired employees.

The committee was told by the officials that Pakistan Railway is facing other crises as well but we will do planning to manage these crises based on internal efforts.

Responding on question of Senator Mushtaq Ahmad regarding neglecting the most senior officers Saeed Khan from KPK and violating the merits boundaries while hiring junior officials on senior positions the officials responded that the said employee from KP didn’t submitted their assets declaration details neither their annual ACRS that’s why he was dropped from the process.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmad while quoting the reference of the Minister Pakistan Railway Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad who addressed on floor of the house that the railway employee Saeed Khan is corrupt and facing investigations of NAB that’s why he was not placed on the said position. Senator Mushtaq Ahmad responded that unluckily the minister not present in the committee otherwise I will clarify that Saeed Khan was cleared by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Mushtaq Ahmad added that the Railway Ministry hired a junior officer on the position of CEO which not only facing six cases in the corruption watch dog but as well facing an internal inquiry of corruption inside the ministry.

The allegation of Senator was negated by the ministry regarding the current CEO facing investigation in NAB.

While briefing the ministry on seven missing dead bodies in Tezgam accident the official told that we only found ashes in that place on which the Punjab forensic lab refused that they don’t have any facility to trace the bodies based on ashes.