LAHORE: Except for three, all serving and retired officers of the Pakistan Railways serving in its subsidiary PRACS, have either been repatriated or shown the door.

A decision to the effect was taken at a high-level meeting in Islamabad recently, a source in the Ministry of Railways told Dawn on Thursday.

The retired officers shown the door included Chaudhry Abdul Aziz (executive director, engineering), Malik Hayat (executive director, mechanical), Syed Muhammad Iqbal and MS Abid (deputy directors, passengers), retired major Muhammad Ashfaq (administration officer), two assistant directors (accounts) besides two female officers of the information technology wing.

“The three BS-20 officers on deputation to railways -- Ashraf Lanjar, Abid Mehmood Janjua and Zafar Zaman Ranjha -- have been asked to continue till Feb 14, when the contract of Hazara Express will expire,” said the source.

Running between Karachi and Havelian, Hazara Express has been earning a reasonable profit for Pakistan Railways but its commercial management was handed over to PRACS with effect from June 5, 2012. Under PRACS management, Hazara Express could not meet its fixed charges and started running in loss.

The source said a decision to revamp Pakistan Railways Advisory and Consultancy Services (PRACS) has been taken primarily in the light of findings of Performance Audit Report 2013, submitted by the Auditor-General of Pakistan with the President’s Secretariat in mid-July last year.

The report had declared

PRACS a 'parasite,’ as it has been more than 90 per cent dependent on its holding organisation (Pakistan Railways) for its business without which it cannot survive.

The audit report revealed that the current activities undertaken by PRACS were in fact required to be carried out by Pakistan Railways itself.

“There is nothing special with PRACS to take over the business of Pakistan Railways; reportedly most of the services were provided (by PRACS) to PR by subletting the contracts to third parties which could be directly carried out by PR itself,” said the report.