The dreadful train tragedy near Gujranwala generated a deep sense of sadness nationwide. 17 people, 11 of them Army officers and men on their way from Pano Aqil in Sindh to Kharian in Punjab, lost their lives as the special train carrying them plunged into a canal while crossing a bridge. Among the dead was a Lt-Col, his wife and two children. At least 90 others were injured. Given the security situation in the country and the fact that the special train was transporting troops and their families, suspicion turns to the violent extremists fighting the state. In fact, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique hinted at sabotage saying “it is the first crash in the history of Pakistan Railways where a bridge collapsed under such mystifying circumstances”. He could be trying to protect his own department, but most others also seemed to have the same thought. However no one, neither the TTP nor any of the factions of Baloch insurgents, claimed immediate responsibility. Notably, the TTP has a habit of belatedly claiming responsibility for acts of terrorism when there are no other claimants.
As it is, most of the bridges all along railway network are more than a century old. The one involved in the present incident was constructed in 1906. In theory, the department has a system of conducting periodic checks of the structures for safety purposes; the practice is a different matter. The Railways officials, of course, dismissed out of hand any suggestion about the bridge being in a bad condition. Unfortunately, however, until recently the railways department has been associated with various corruption scandals. If media reports are to be believed about ongoing activities, for some inexplicable reason, the budget for infrastructure maintenance underwent a reduction by about Rs 100 million. Apparently, it was deemed to be a low priority area. It is imperative that an effective oversight system is put in place to ensure infrastructure maintenance work meets the highest of standards.
Most people, however, suspect sabotage in present incident. According to one report, fishplates on the track were tampered with. Different people have been looking at it from different angles to figure out what might have caused it. As for the use of explosives, it is pointed out that people in the vicinity did not hear any blast. Still explosives might have been placed underwater to demolish one of the pillars supporting the bridge. The federal government’s inspector of railways is to submit his report on the incident within 72 hours, while the department is to carry out its own independent inquiry. The Army, surely, will carry out its own investigations to get to the bottom of the incident. Hopefully, the findings of the separate civil and military inquiries will be made public so it is known whether the tragedy was the outcome of departmental inattention to safety standards or the scourge of terrorism the soldiers are in the process of eliminating. In case the deed was done by the violent extremists it will only strengthen the national resolve to defeat them.
