New Rule Introduced: Police Now Doing Ticket Checks on Pakistan Railways

Pakistan Railways Police (PRP) has been officially assigned the task of checking passengers' tickets and taking action against ticketless travel, per an order from the IG PRP's Central Police Office in Lahore. Four special teams have been formed to cover the Peshawar-Rawalpindi, Lahore-Multan, Sukkur-Karachi (Main Line), and Sukkur-Quetta routes, working alongside Special Branch personnel.

Strict Reporting Requirements

Teams must submit daily reports to the CPO without fail and share their live locations twice a day via WhatsApp for review by the competent authority. The order specifically warns that no negligence will be tolerated. All SSPs have been directed to instruct SHOs and railway police post in-charges to coordinate and facilitate the teams, including arranging their accommodation.

Questions Already Being Raised

The move has reportedly sparked internal concerns, since railway police personnel don't have dedicated ticket-checking devices or specialized training for this task. There are also questions about overlapping responsibilities, as ticket issuance and checking have traditionally fallen under the commercial department, while PRP's core mandate is security and protection of railway property.

The Bottom Line

Handing ticket enforcement to police rather than commercial staff is a notable departure from how Pakistan Railways has traditionally divided its work — and with no specialized equipment or training yet in place, how smoothly these four teams actually perform this new duty remains an open question.