The Senate's Standing Committee on Railways has criticized the Ministry of Railways over its inability to report accurate figures concerning financial losses and corruption. According to media reports, the committee has outlined the Ministry’s lack of seriousness, requesting all relevant officials to be held accountable as inaccurate figures misled the parliament.   

Reports reveal that Senator Jam Saifullah Khan, who chairs the Standing Committee on Railways, highlighted how the ministry had provided inaccurate and inconsistent figures even after receiving multiple reminders, highlighting that the inability to follow parliament’s orders reveals the lack of accountability within the ministry. 

Commenting on the issue of inaccurate information, Senator Shahadat Awan reportedly described the Ministry's action as a breach of privilege. Reports indicate that prior to remarking on the situation, the Senator had asked for the Ministry to provide him with data pertaining to instances of corruption and financial losses.

The Senator also underlined the importance of transparency in public affairs, especially those that concern large sums of taxpayer funds. As per reports, the standing committee has issued directives for the Ministry of Railways to investigate and identify officials associated with the submission of inaccurate information.

The railways secretary has responded to the aforementioned concerns, conceding that the reports were inaccurate. He highlighted that discrepancies in data existed because of confusions between fiscal and calendar year data. However, it merits a mention that the secretary has suggested that the information has been reconciled.

Addressing concerns regarding accountability, the secretary reportedly detailed the lodging of 3,230 First Information Reports (FIR) against officials over a period of five years. Reports suggest that these FIR’s were filed against officials involved in embezzlement, misuse of authority, and theft.

While the Ministry has been able to recover Rs109.487 million in losses from the aforementioned cases, a staggering Rs103.396 million still remains unrecovered. Data from reports indicates that 1,080 cases are currently ongoing, suggesting that additional funds may be recovered. 

As per the data, 1,555 officials have been convicted with 309 being acquitted. For the cases that remain open however, Senator Awan has criticized the ministry for failing to share updates on these FIRs and demanded a comprehensive report detailing all unresolved and reopened cases, urging stronger collaboration with law enforcement.