LAHORE: Pakistan Railways (PR) has cancelled all property auctions held from October 20 to 23 and postponed the ones scheduled from October 24 to 27 in Lahore after concerns were raised over transparency.
The decision came after Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi took notice of media reports highlighting irregularities in the auction process.
“We have cancelled the auctions of all warehouses and other properties conducted from Oct 20 to 23, along with those planned till Oct 27, because the prices offered were below expectations,” Mr Abbasi told Private Newspaper. “The offered price was Rs220 per sq ft against the benchmark of Rs200, but we were expecting more. In future, we will set the benchmark at Rs300 and aim to get up to Rs350 per sq ft.”
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He added that upcoming property auctions would be conducted in a transparent manner under strict supervision. “All proceedings will be closely monitored and properly recorded to ensure fairness,” he said.
Mr Abbasi also claimed that he had previously saved billions of rupees by ensuring transparency in the auctioning of luggage vans and express cargo.
Sharing his future plans, the minister said a new cargo train service would be launched soon. Pakistan Railways is set to receive 35 new wagons by November 15 and another 15 by November 30 for this purpose.
Earlier, the Ministry of Railways had temporarily assigned the charge of Lahore Divisional Superintendent (DS) to the Rawalpindi DS for three days (Oct 20–22), despite the availability of senior officers in Lahore.
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The move drew criticism and was seen as an attempt to favour certain bidders in the auction of prime railway properties, including godowns and parking areas in Badami Bagh and other key locations.
Following the controversy, the minister ordered the reversal of the decision and appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer Yousaf Leghari as acting Lahore DS. However, concerns persisted, ultimately leading to the cancellation of all auctions.
The cancelled properties included several godowns, parking stands, shops, and restaurants located on Sher Shah Road, Truck Adda, Garhi Shahu, and other areas of Lahore.
