LAHORE – Former Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique was grilled in theSupreme Court of Pakistan over the suomoto case of the losses of PakistanRailways.
The lawyer of former railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Wednesday submitted the reply in the case before the apex Court.
He told the Supreme Court that an audit report on Pakistan Railways’finances during his client’s tenure confirmed that there had been nocorruption or irregularities in it.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisarwas hearing a suo motu case pertaining to monetary losses suffered byPakistan Railways during Rafique’s tenure.
The former minister, who is in the custody of the National AccountabilityBureau (NAB) since November 11 in the Paragon Housing Society case, wasalso brought to the court to attend the hearing.
During the hearing, the chief justice remarked: “But were there losses”.
The counsel replied that these are not losses but a pending deficit beingfaced by the state-owned company for the past 65 years.
The apex court has ordered the auditor general and federal government tosubmit their replies to Rafique’s response and adjourned the hearing.
Addressing the court, the minister said that the federal government paidRs58 million in the wake of pension before his term, adding that thedepartment, during his tenure, itself paid Rs21m as pensions.
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“At least appreciate this,” he asked the chief justice, to which the topjudge remarked that he would be hailed when the matter is resolved.
The suo motu case was initiated in April this year over alleged Rs60billion corruption in the Pakistan Railways.
A probe report submitted to the apex court on April 28 revealed that lossesof the railways stand at Rs40 billion.
On Dec 17, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had started a newinvestigation against the former railway minister for purchasing engines oftrains at the exorbitant price.
Sources said that the train engines which were bought by India at the costof Rs250 million, Saad Rafique purchased the same at the price of Rs400million.
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