Railways summons armed personnel from Sukkur, Multan amid escalating KMC feud
The Pakistan Railways KMC dispute escalated sharply this week as Pakistan Railways summoned armed personnel from Sukkur and Multan to Karachi. The department warned of a “full force” response if any individual or institution challenged its authority.
Why the railways called in reinforcements
Letters to senior railways police officials in Sukkur and Multan asked them to release personnel “along with arms and ammunition” for Karachi. The department already has more than 500 personnel in the city.
SP Pakistan Railways Police Karachi Khurram Khursheed confirmed the move. He called it a “precautionary measure” after “recent incidents”: an attack on a railway police station and garbage dumped outside railway offices and a senior official’s residence. He said railway police protected Pakistan Railways assets and key points, and the extra deployment would help them perform their duties more effectively.
The escalation comes as the railways is in the middle of a reform push. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an acceleration of ML-I and wider railway reforms, while the department plans to outsource 13 trains by December.
The Pakistan Railways KMC dispute over the Natha Khan Bridge road
At the heart of the standoff is a Rs780 million Karachi Metropolitan Corporation road project linking Natha Khan Bridge with Pehlwan Goth. Both sides claim the land. Pakistan Railways says the dual carriageway encroaches on Karachi Circular Railway land and was built without authorisation.
The disputed corridor near Habib University, parallel to Chakor Nullah, is land the railways considers strategic as it pushes ahead with the Karachi-Rohri track upgrade under ML-I.
From scuffle to FIRs: how the feud unfolded
On Sunday, October 18, railways police stopped construction of the dual carriageway between Natha Khan Bridge and Pehlwan Goth. A scuffle broke out when KMC City Wardens Director Saim Imran reached the site. The KMC alleges that railways policemen assaulted him and took him to the railways police station. He was released after hours of negotiations.
The KMC then had Sharea Faisal police lodge an FIR against railways officials over the alleged kidnapping and assault. The next day, piles of garbage appeared outside Pakistan Railways offices and a senior official’s residence. Railway officials suspect the municipal body dumped the waste.
Later, a heavy Sharea Faisal police contingent “raided” Cantonment Railway Station to arrest suspects in the “kidnapping, torture and illegal confinement” of the wardens director. Pakistan Railways answered in kind, lodging its own FIR against KMC officials and accusing them of offences including terrorism. Dawn’s detailed report on the feud traces each step of the confrontation.
Both sides have vowed not to back down. The KMC has continued the road work and aims to finish by the end of this month; work resumed the day after the railways’ intervention. A KMC official said talks between senior officials of both sides were continuing, but the issue remained unresolved. The KMC insists it met all legal requirements before launching the project more than two months ago, and says the road will benefit Karachi’s residents.
That is what makes the standoff more than an institutional turf war. The road is a Rs780 million public project meant to ease movement for commuters between Natha Khan Bridge and Pehlwan Goth. With armed personnel now being summoned from other cities and FIRs flying in both directions, the commuters the road was meant to serve are watching their route become a battleground. Karachi’s civic machinery has been under pressure on several fronts lately, from 162 buildings found non-compliant with fire safety rules to this federal-municipal confrontation.
FAQ
Why did Pakistan Railways summon armed personnel from Sukkur and Multan?
The department says it is a precautionary measure to protect federal railway assets and key points in Karachi after an attack on a railway police station and garbage dumped outside railway offices and a senior official’s residence. Letters asked officials in both cities to release personnel with arms and ammunition.
What is the Natha Khan Bridge road project?
It is a Rs780 million KMC project building a dual carriageway between Natha Khan Bridge and Pehlwan Goth, near Habib University. The KMC says it will benefit Karachi’s residents and that all legal requirements were met before work began more than two months ago.
