National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways rejects briefing on Jaffar Express Tragedy

ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways was held under the chairmanship of Rai Hassan Nawaz, which was attended by the Federal Minister, State Minister, and Secretary Railways, among other senior officials. However, during the meeting, strong resentment was expressed over the non-participation of the Home Secretary, and the agenda was postponed until the next meeting, rejecting the briefing of the Additional Secretary Home.

According to sources, while briefing the meeting, the Additional Home Secretary revealed that 214 government employees were on board the Jaffar Express. On this, the committee members expressed concerns and questioned that if such a large number of government people were present in the train, why the security arrangements were not effective.

The IG Railways told the committee that the organization was facing a shortage of resources, and the terrorists had targeted a nearby FC post before the attack on the Jaffar Express. According to him, there were 5 FC and 5 Railway Police armed guards in the train, who resisted according to their means.

The Standing Committee rejected the briefing of the Additional Home Secretary on the Jafar Express tragedy and summoned the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Interior, and Secretary of Information in the next meeting. According to sources, the committee agreed that the in-camera meeting would be called again after Eid-ul-Fitr, so that the details of the incident could be further reviewed.