Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Tuesday blamed damaged track for the Hazara Express accident.
The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, but it is believed that the train hit a wooden patch on the track.
The wooden patch was reportedly placed on the track to repair a defect, but it was not properly secured. The impact of the train hitting the wooden patch caused the train to derail.
Speaking in the National Assembly (NA), the minister said that the track where the accident occurred was in poor condition and that no wooden patch had been installed to repair it.
He also said that the de-railing of the train was not the cause of the deaths.
Rafique announced that six railway officers have been suspended in connection with the accident.
He emphasised the need for investing in the railways and that ML-1 project.
The train accident is the latest in a series of railway accidents in Pakistan. In May, a train derailment in Sindh killed at least 18 people. In February, a train collision in Punjab killed at least 19 people.
