Govt extends Railways Police jurisdiction

There are more than 1,500 railway colonies, which have above 2,000 mosques, imambarghas and other religious places. Besides maintenance of law and order situation within the jurisdiction of railway stations, manning thousands of signals and running trains, are also among the other prime responsibilities of the PRP.

According to the survey, with the extended jurisdiction existing number of policemen serving in the railways is not sufficient to perform the duties.

The situation at the Lahore Railway Police Station should make the federal government realize about the problems faced by the railways authorities. The above-mentioned police station has only one police van and a motorcycle. Interestingly both the vehicles being used as means of transportation are not functional any more. The police officials are patrolling in the areas on foot.

Talking to The Nation, IG Pakistan Railways Police Mirza Muhammad Ali said that though the police department was lacking basic facilities including transport, police station buildings, and modern weapons, the police officials are motivated and ready to combat with the crime and thwart any designs by the terrorists.

To a query, the IG said the department had asked the higher authorities concerned to equip the department with transport, weapons and more manpower. He said he was quite hopeful that the federal government would provide all the necessary facilities to the Pakistan Railways Police. A proposal sent by the PRP in this regard was under consideration, Mirza Muhammad Ali said.