LAHORE, Punjab: Pakistan Railways Police (PRP) has assigned special teams to conduct Railways Police ticket checks on four major routes. These teams will take action against passengers travelling without valid tickets.
An order from the Office of the Inspector General, Pakistan Railways Police, at the Central Police Office (CPO) in Lahore directs the teams to work with Special Branch personnel. They will do so in the respective railway divisions.
The directive says four teams will cover the Peshawar-Rawalpindi, Lahore-Multan, Sukkur-Karachi Main Line, and Sukkur-Quetta routes.
The teams must submit daily reports to the CPO. They must also share their live locations through WhatsApp twice a day for monitoring by the competent authority. The order states that negligence in carrying out the assignment will not be tolerated.
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Senior Superintendents of Police have also been instructed to ensure station house officers and railway police post in-charges cooperate with the checking teams. They must also arrange accommodation where required.
The assignment extends PRP’s involvement in revenue-protection operations. Its formally listed responsibilities primarily cover railway security, law and order, passenger assistance and protection of railway property and travellers.
Railway police involvement in ticketless-travel drives is not without precedent. In 2012, PRP special teams conducted surprise checks alongside senior ticket examiners and conductor guards, according to Dawn.
The latest directive has also raised operational questions about equipment and training. This is because Pakistan Railways’ commercial staff generally handle ticket checking, according to the order-related reporting.
