I will resign if it heals the Injured : Sawati.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati on Wednesday said he is willing to resign from his position if it would cover the losses and casualties in the incident.

"If my resignation is the appropriate substitute for the accident, then I am ready to resign," he said. "if my resignation can heal the wounds of those who lost their relatives and the injured, I say 'Bismillah' to it," the minister told a press conference in Lahore. Swati said the investigation into the accident is underway, saying that those who were found negligible in their duties would be handed strict punishments. He, however, said it is unlikely that a fault in an eight-mile (12.87 kilometres) stretch of railway tracks was responsible for the recent train accident in Ghotki. He said that the tracks where the incident had occurred had recently undergone maintenance on a stretch of eight miles. "I myself and other senior personnel have inspected and monitored the accident site so there is less possibility that there was any fault in the eight miles of (railway) tracks but I can't determine this until the final report arrives," he added.

When questioned on the inquiry's neutrality, Swati said he has decided to also appoint an 'experienced army officer with expertise in conducting investigations' and another individual known for investigations in the aviation ministry. Their main purpose would be to aid him and independently oversee the investigation, he explained.

The railways minister lamented the lack of upgradation for railways assets and equipment, stressing that improving railway tracks was necessary to boost the economy and reduce input costs of exporters and importers. "You have to upgrade your entire railway track at any cost, there is no other way except for this."

Swati lamented that the railways did not have the technology to improve the tracks' conditions, adding...