ISLAMABAD - IMRAN MUKHTAR and USMAN CHEEMA - An interesting information came before the Upper House of the Parliament on Thursday when it came to know that only 47 passenger and five goods trains owned by Pakistan Railways were operative throughout the country whereas a total of 82,940 officials were on payroll of the cash-starved department.
Federal Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour informed this to the house while replying a written question posed by PML-N lawmaker Begum Najma Hameed.
Giving the details, the minister through a written reply said that 17 mail/ express trains, 16 intercity, six passenger, four mixed, three international and one Karachi shuttle were among the total number of passenger trains operative throughout Pakistan.
It was also informed that at an average ten railway employees were engaged in each operational train. Bilour said per train number of employees varied across the world according to the operation system in use. There is no widely recognised international standard. A comparison with the foreign railway system would, therefore, not be accurate and truly reflective of operational efficiency.
Begum Hameed through a supplementary question asked the Minister for Railways that if ten employees were engaged on each operational train, then what was the necessity to keep around 0.1 million railway officials on the pay roll. The minister replying he question said Pakistan Railways was short of strength, as officials had also to depute in booking offices, for security duty purpose etc. He said the strength of railways was 1,30,000 in the past but now it had been reduced as no new recruitments had been made. He said that Indian Railways had much more employees than Pakistan's. "We have no locomotives and I have asked for a number of times to meet the demand," he added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in her reply Thursday informed the National Assembly that Rs 4.9 billion had been spent on Pakistan's missions abroad during 2012-13.
She said Rs 5.5276 billion had also been spent on Pakistani embassies in 2007-8, Rs 6.062 billion in 2008-9, Rs 7.9 billion in 2009-10, Rs 8.8 billion in 2010-11, Rs 9.3 billion in 2011-12, 9.7 billion spent on Pakistan embassies abroad in 2012-13. She said 23 embassies/ missions have their own buildings in various countries. She also told the house that 21 foreign officials' wives and children held dual nationality. Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar Thursday informed the lower house of Parliament that an amount of Rs 237 million was spent on financial assistance of overseas Pakistanis. He told the house that the amount was provided to 5513 families of deceased/ disabled overseas Pakistanis. In case of sudden death of disability of an overseas Pakistanis, the amount was provided to their heirs. Replying another question he said that the compensation amount had been enhanced from Rs 100,000 to Rs 150,000 per family since July 2012.
Parliamentary Secretary Ms Palwasha Khan during the question hour informed the lower house that only 1 Pakistani was killed in Syria. She said that despite all bad law and order situation in Syria there were about 20 to 30 Pakistanis still wanted to live there.
State Minister for Commerce Abbas Khan Afridi told National Assembly that Pakistan had imported 2148257246 kg Palm and Soya bean oil valuing $2426264 from 31 countries mainly from Malaysia and United States during 2011-12, Thursday. While answering different supplementary questions, he said the country had imported 1872277514 kg Palm and Soya bean oil during 2007-8, valuing $1720111. In 2008-9 the country had imported 1865423975 kg edible oil worth $1478698.
He informed the house that Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) had imported 1104605 tonnes sugar from worldwide in 2010-11. The Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan had refused to lift the sugar complaining the existence of excessive moisture content in it.
To scrutinise the complaint of USC, he said TCP had sent the sugar to Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) laboratories, who certified it, fit for human consumption.
Replying to another question he said 784 persons have been appointed in the ministry of Narcotics Control. And 107 persons have been recruited in Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) during the last five years.