150 Varan buses to be auctioned in Islamabad, Rawalpindi
Pakistan Times National News Desk

RAWALPINDI: Following the decision of the management of the Varan transport company to windup the well disciplined and well established company, nearly 150 buses will be sold through public auction, advertisements in this regards have also appeared in Friday’s newspaper.

The company had stopped the plying of the buses ten days back following a row with the local administration and other political elements responsible for the destruction and burning of the passenger buses near Faizabad following an accident in which a motorcyclist was killed under the wheels of the Varan bus.

The management alleged that police supported the persons responsible for burning of the buses which caused a damage of nearly two crores rupees.

Significantly the officials of the local administration including the nazim of Rawalpindi kept a meaningful sielence and did not make any comment when thousands of commuters between Rawalpoindi and Islamabad and also from different localities suffered the hardships.

The people of Rawalpindi lamented that the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmad a prominent leader and an MNA from Rawalpindi without whose consent nothing moves in the capital did not use his good offices. His slight intervention could help in sorting out the dispute.

Having disappointed from the indifferent attitude of the local administration the Varan management finally decided to close the transport company and left the people at the mercy of the wagon drivers who want to become wealthy within days and make every possible effort to stop white colored people to travel between the twin city.

The company has already discontinued the services of thousands of people attached with the company and decided to put the fleet of 150 buses to auction.

The company had secured crores of rupees as loan for the purchase of the buses from the Askari Bank. The management said their main purpose of running the buses was to provide decent traveling to the commuters.

The local administration secretly gave permission to private wagon and bus owners but their conductors are not willing to entertain passengers directly for Islamabad or on return to Rawalpindi.

The traffic police which could handle the situation and check the wagon drivers from the insulting attitude is also willfully keeping away. There are charges gthast most of the wagons operating on this route belonged to police officials.

Fillers are given in the press that the local administration will entertain fresh transporters but no body knows how long, and under the present circumstance will the new transporters be prepared to make such a big investment less they face the same fate of the Varan.

pakistantimes

This is exactly the type of bad news that Pakistan does not need homegrown ignorance and local corruption, forcing businesses out of Pakistan.
The allegations against the local officials and the nazims and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmad are very serious indeed. To allow this company to leave Pakistan’s transport industry sends a clear signal to other investors about the law and order situation in the country.
For the article to state Sheikh Rashid Ahmad is somehow a kingpin in this district is very grave matter and the minister himself should respond the article and clarify his role in this sad turn of events while also urging the company to stay and settle their dispute through the courts of Pakistan.
This news needs to be followed more closely as it could be construed as the norm within Pakistan. If one company has lost confidence in Pakistan then it’s only a matter of time before this is used by anti Pakistan elements to force other companies to reconsider their positions.
We need to know what if any efforts were made to resolve the dispute and how much of the violence was organized by the police and the transport black marketers.
150 buses may not be much in the grand scheme of things but, a Pakistani has taken a risk and started a service which is appreciated by the locals why should such people than be humiliated and forced out.
Is it gangsterism or an unfortunate set of circumstances? More detailed info is needed.

This is so typical in Pakistan. People with tribal mentality, never see the broad picture, always busy to maximize own interest in every oppurtunity. This transport service was a good devlopement for twin cities. But local politicaians, transport mafia and police wre not having their usual earnings and used all know tactics to stop it. They finally succeed. Now the common people will be the sufferers.



I am sure if Musharaf left the affair today the country will go back to its usual in two weeks. Sometime I really believe this country can be hold togather only through "danda". This is only thing people understands. Here common sense, decency, justice and fairness has no meaning. Everybody is busy with own "two cents" and they will remain worth of "two cents". The word "devlopement" is not in their dictionary.


I am relly disgusted. I hope if Musharf intervene to save this transport service.

you're right. and it makes me really question musharrafs competence and foresight to allow this to happen, especially after he made bold promises of cleaning up the system. people like sheikh rashid and the like need to be removed. i understand musharraf just needed their help to get into power, but it reflects really negatively on him. i am not sure what he had in mind when people like this were taken into the government. musharraf needs to be slapped around, for all the good he MAY have done, the bad is right there with it.

Now you want President of Pakistan to run the transport system. What else do you want from him? Clean your toilet perhaps? Damn it. Why not any other people, organization or authority in Pakistan do their job properly. Why the President have to intervene in every issue?

I blame the press. For all the press freedoms and the many channels and newspapers why cant Pakistan journalists do their job and do it porperly, get to the bottom of the dispute?
I believe that the reason so much freedom was given to the press was so that just such cases could be investigated by journalists and those who are corrupt could be exposed to the public. The press has a responsiblity to Pakistan to hold those in office to account for the promises and their short commings.
Anyother country in the west, the press would have been like a pack of wolves after the minister who decides their futures. The bait would have been too much to leave alone and the glory within their own circles of brining down a minister is a badge of honour.
The press in Pakistan need to play a more substantial role in making itself the consiousness of the nation.
If corruption is to be wiped out of Pakistan then all sections of the society need to be given special attention but special attention needs to be paid to out right gangstersim. The Minister involved needs to be made to answer the allegations leveled against him.
I just hope the press can hound him enough to make him clear his name or resign.
We need journalists who can stay the course and follow the story through. The name of the journalist should also be on the article so we know which ones are serious and which ones are just on the take.