CJP tells Sheikh Rashid he ‘should have resigned’ after last year’s deadly train incident

• The bench asked the minister to present a business plan in the next hearing.
• The court ordered the evacuation of six kilometers of Karachi Circular Railway land in two weeks.

Expressing its resentment to Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid over poor performance of his department, the Supreme Court (SC) said that the minister should have resigned.

The SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali took up the case pertaining to losses incurred by Pakistan Railways. The CJP said that Rashid should have resigned following the October 2019 fire that had engulfed a train and killed 73 passengers.

The railways minister replied that 75 people had been dismissed after the tragic incident, local media reported. The bench replied that they were told two lower-level employees were fired. "When will the higher-ranking ones be dismissed?" Justice Ahmed asked.

The bench asked the minister to present a business plan in the next hearing, warning that if there was any deviation from the plan presented in court, action will be taken.The SC bench then adjourned the proceedings till February 12. The minister and the secretary of planning have been summoned to appear in the next hearing.

SC orders to vacate Karachi Circular Railway lands

The issue of KCR was also taken up during the hearing. Rashid termed the ML 1 project as the only solution to the problems of the railway. The court remarked that the railways does not has signal, tracks and neither boogies; whereas, railways land from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Karachi have been given to the people.

The minister denied giving land. “What was happening at other railway stations including Keamari, see the condition of railway stations in Karachi," the CJP said in his remarks.

The court ordered the evacuation of six kilometers of Karachi Circular Railway land in two weeks. The court also directed the Sindh government to assist the railways in every way.