Suicide attempt: Laying the tracks for change

Man threats to commit suicide by tying himself to the railway tracks in front of an approaching train.


Express November 30, 2010

LIAQATPUR: Locals protested against the railways authorities after a man threatened to commit suicide by tying himself to the railway tracks in front of an approaching train.

Malik Inayat announced that he would tie himself up to a railway track and commit suicide if the railway stop wasn’t restored and opened immediately. According to eyewitnesses, Inayat said that he could no longer afford his daily meals since the train stop between the Zakariya Express and Quetta express had been closed off a month ago. “My commute costs me more than I can afford and I can barely afford meals any more. What I earn is spent on taxi and rickshaw fare just to get to work in the morning,” Inayat said.

Over 30 people lay down on the tracks beside Inayat in protest against the government’s decision. “The situation has made many of us desperate. We realise that this isn’t a very busy juncture.

However, that shouldn’t mean that the train cannot make a 5-minute stop for those of us who need to get to work,” said Dilawar Abbasi, adding that several people who worked in neighbouring villages had been forced to quit their jobs because of the Pakistsan Railway headquarters decision to close the stop.

Residents of Rahim Yar Khan and Liaqatpur said that the railway stop be restored as soon as possible because it was affecting their livelihood.  “I will kill myself if the railway authorities do not revoke their decision. It will be the government’s fault,” Inayat said.

Police officials tried to curb the protests but a large crowd began chanting slogans against the government and railway authorities.

Assistant traffic officer (ATO) Sajjad Ali Bhutta refused to restore the train stop. Liaqatpur railways authorities eventually calmed the protesters and promised that they would hold talks with Malik Inayat. “Inayat will be compensated for his losses,” railways official Saqib Zaman said, not saying how exactly the losses would be calculated.

Railway officer Jamsheed Ali restored Zakariya Express stop for several hours on Monday but said that he could not go against the senior administration indefinitely.

“I will eventually have to close the stop again. We will try to work out another solution to the people’s problems,” he said.

Ali said that a decision to restore the stop indefinitely would be taken on December 10. Liaqatpur station master Allah Rakha also vowed to restore the stop and submitted a written promise to the citizens that their demands would be taken under consideration. He said he would forward their demands to the authorities in Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2010.

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