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Railways’ grabbed lands: Saad Rafique comes down hard on PML-N, other govts, institutions

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique on Tuesday burst out at Punjab and other provincial governments, the successive governments including that of his own party’s and other institutions for their role in bringing Pakistan Railways to the verge of collapse.

Winding up the debate in the National Assembly regarding Railways’ land, Saad Rafiq harshly criticized those behind the downfall of Pakistan Railways and did not spare even PML-N’s government.

Saad Rafique told the National Assembly that in the past successive governments including that of PML-N distributed Railways’ land among their blue-eyed.

Regarding the grabbing of Railways land, Saad said that the modus operandi to grab Railways’ land had been to spend just two thousands rupees to get stay order against attempt to vacate grabbed land and continue grabbing land worth Rs2 billion.

He also complained about the higher judiciary, saying that they get tired by making repeated pleas to courts to hear PR’s cases against land grabbers.

He said that the biggest problem of Railways had been Railways’ land in possession of provincial governments. He said that during the last three years Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had returned 90 percent land to PR, but the other provincial governments were not ready to return Railway land.

He said that graveyards were being constructed on PR lands. He vowed to vacate the grabbed lands of PR from the land grabbers, saying that those using Railways lands for commercial purpose by grabbing it would not be spared.

Saad Rafique said that they would not take action against the katchi abadies establish on the PR lands for the time being.  He said that the Royal Palm Club’s property was worth Rs12 billion and the department had approached the court, but the petition was not yet fixed for hearing.

The Minister said that PR had to fight against the governments, mafias and institutions to get its grabbed land vacated. He said that PR lacked resources and it would take time to vacate all the grabbed land.