Pakistan Railways has sacked 18% of 'unnecessary staff', PM Shehbaz told

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was briefed on Monday that Pakistan Railways has sacked 18% of its “unnecessary staff” in a bid to improve its performance. 

The development came as Pakistan is trying to implement the reforms mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a financial bailout. 

According to a statement issued by the prime minister’s office, Sharif chaired a meeting to review the railway sector’s performance on Monday which was attended by senior cabinet ministers and officials. 

“As part of the Pakistan Railways rightsizing process, 18% of unnecessary staff has been laid off,” Sharif was briefed during the meeting, according to the PMO. 

Sharif issued instructions to Pakistan Railways to attract passengers in a competitive manner, calling on the organization to provide better travel services to passengers through public-private partnerships. 

He also instructed railways to hire professional and capable manpower, and replace its old system with modern technology that is more in line with today’s age, the PMO said. 

Sharif was briefed that the railways suffered losses of Rs10 billion during the devastating floods of 2022, during which most of its tracks remained underwater for 35 days. 

“Pakistan Railways improved its performance through various measures after the 2022 floods and has so far earned a profit equal to the initial cost of its freight operations,” the PM was told.