ISLAMABAD: It is alarming that one side Pakistan Railways (PR) lacking to pay salaries and pensions to its low grade employees owing to serious monetary crises in the ministry but on the other hand its high ranked officers (baboos) are enjoying luxurious foreign trips of without any check or fear.
According to the available documents to PR’s officers had enjoyed number of foreign trips by allegedly utilizing the funds of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of Pakistan Railway.
It revealed in documents that railway officers had baldy ruined the austerity drive initiated by the federal government. The high officials of Pakistan Railways have been enjoying foreign trips on the name of revamping Pakistan Railways with modern technology from abroad.
It stated in documents that eighty-eight officers of different grades made visited China on PSDP fund. The ex- Federal Secretary of Pakistan Railway Zafar Zaman Ranjha had earlier viewed that PR’s officers were making foreign trips to China on the expense of the Chinese companies, while the documents of Pakistan Railway clearly mentioned that these trips expenditures of air fare, hotels accommodations, and all other perks and privileges were paid from PSDP fund of Pakistan Railway.
Every officers enjoyed his each visit to China minimum for ten days. While some officers visited China twice and spent 10 to 22 days there on the expenses of Pakistan Railway from PSDP fun.
The official data further explained that officers made most these visits to china during the year of 2022. As per detail two Grade 20 officers of Commercial and Transport Group of Pakistan Railway visited China for 10 days, five officers of Grade 19 had tripped China for 10 days and one officer of Grade 18 went China on official tour.
While two officers of Grade 21 of Railway Mechanical Engineering went China on the name of official trip twice for 10 days each, eleven officers of Grade 20 made 15 visits to China, fifteen officers of Grade 19 made trip to China and twenty-eight officials of Grade 18 visited China.
Federal Secretary Railways said in a statement to the media that the expenses of all these officers are being paid by the Chinese company from which Pakistan Railways is buying coaches. But now it has been revealed in the documents that all the expenses of all these officers have been paid by the PSDP fund and not by the Chinese company. To get the official version of Pakistan Railway, the spokesman of Pakistan Railway was contacted several times but he refused to comment on it.
