ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel, Friday, while calling for making recruitment process transparent and fair in Pakistan Railways (PR) has stressed the need for publishing the recruitment related advertisement in various newspapers at the provincial level to ensure maximum participation.
The Senate Standing Committee on Railways meeting was held here under the chairmanship of Senator Jam Saifullah Khan to discuss and review key issues and developments within PR Committee proposed a series of measures to ensure fairness and transparency in the recruitment process.
Senator Shahadat Awan raised concerns about the recruitment process for constables in PR and pointed out that the advertisement for recruitment had been posted only on the Pakistan Railways website, potentially limiting its reach.
Senator Awan emphasised the importance of publishing the advertisement in various newspapers at the provincial level to ensure maximum participation. He expressed concerns about the decision to fill police posts on a temporary basis, stressing that such appointments should ideally be made on a permanent basis.
Responding to the concerns, the Secretary Railways clarified that the recruitment process was in line with the federal cabinet’s decision to make contractual appointments. He informed the committee that the advertisement had been published in two newspapers, and that initial screening of applications had been completed. The process is scheduled to be finalised by February 17, 2025.
The committee, unanimously, passed the following key recommendations: (i) temporarily halting the ongoing recruitment process and re-advertising vacancies in local newspapers across all four provinces to ensure broader participation. (ii) Retaining the eligibility of candidates who passed the initial screening while also giving new applicants the opportunity to apply. (iii) Establishing examination centres at each provincial headquarters for testing and interviews to facilitate participation by local candidates. (iv) Including the remaining 250 vacant seats in the fresh advertisement, thereby, filling all 500 positions in one recruitment cycle, rather than splitting them into two phases. (v) Implementing the federal cabinet’s directions regarding contract-based appointments for police posts and presenting the minutes of that decision in the next committee meeting. The possibility of appointing permanent employees to these posts will also be considered.
The committee also underscored the importance of allocating a significant portion of the budget to the maintenance of trains and railway tracks, to improve service quality and ensure the safety of passengers.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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