The Federal Minister for Railways, Sheikh Rashid, on Saturday, announced that four cases of the Pakistan Railways would be sent to the accountability watchdog for further investigation- a move that some officials believe would discourage the private sector from investing in the entity as envisaged by the new government.
“Currently there are eight cases in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regarding different issues of railways and we are sending another four cases to the NAB- including the one related to the Shalimar Hospital,” Rashid said while addressing a news conference. The Shalimar Hospital, one of the busiest hospitals of Lahore, was constructed on a piece of land owned by the Pakistan Railways and the hospital’s lease period was expired recently. The minister reiterated that he was looking to lease out the railways’ land and other assets to the private sector and added that he was searching for the private parties that could revamp the railway stations free of cost. He also claimed that many overseas Pakistanis were already willing to work for railways free of cost. “We invite private parties to upgrade five railway station sites, for free and we do welcome new ideas for railways and will make a website for that as well” he said
After taking charge on August 20 as the federal minister, Rashid expressed, at multiple times, his commitment to transform the railways primarily by opening up the entity’s huge infrastructure and assets to the private sector and to attract the private sector for the up gradation of different hospitals and educational institutes managed by the Pakistan Railways.
“But at the same time he is bullying those who previously risked starting joint ventures with railways by sending their cases to the NAB. In this situation, it would be difficult for the minister to attract investment from the private sector,” said an official while requesting anonymity. “How is it possible for the railways to attract fresh investment in the presence of previous cases that have become a nightmare for railways as well as private investors?” he questioned. The official was referring to the deals of Royal Palm Golf and Country Club and Pak Business Express that actually went wrong and did not help railways in getting the required revenues and the goodwill.
Published in Daily Times, September 2nd 2018.
