LAHORE – Pakistan Railways has demanded compensation from the Punjab government for the train coaches that were burnt by angry protesters on Monday, reported a private TV channel on Wednesday.
It is worth mentioning here that the chairman of the Sub-Committee of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Railways, Ramesh Lal, had held Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif responsible for the burning of trains. The PPP MNA also appealed to Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take notice of the incident.
Four coaches of Babu Passenger Train between Lahore and Sialkot were set on fire by angry protesters in Kamoke and Gujranwala during a protest against loadshedding on Monday night.
In reaction, Railways management has temporarily suspended at least 20 passenger trains in Lahore division. The trains were closed down for security reasons and would be restored after improvement in the law and order situation, said the Railways spokesman. He added that the department had to suffer a loss of about Rs4 million because of complete burning of four coaches of Babu Train.