Daily Times

Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Saturday said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif was ‘dying’ for an NRO.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, the minister said that Shehbaz Sharif wants an NRO (a euphemism for relief in then accountability cases) and is dying for relief. When asked as to why he thinks that the PML-N president wants relief, the minister maintained that Shehbaz’s medical report demanded an air conditioner, bed and other facilities for him in the prison.”If I am to live in such a prison, I will not even try getting bail,” he remarked.

Sh Rasheed accused former prime minister Nawaz Sharif of working on foreign agenda and deliberately.He also accused Nawaz of making secret telephone calls to India during his visits abroad.

About the recent resignations and accusations of corruption and misuse of power against the sitting ministers, he said that if found involved in wrongdoings the PTI leaders and ministers should be punished severely as they are in government. About Azam Swati’s resignation, he said that Swati should be lauded not maligned by media for taking a ‘bold and commendable step’.

While apprising the media about performance of his ministry, the minister said that just last week the department’s earnings were Rs260million while this week the earnings have multiplied and now stand at Rs450million.”People are opting for advanced bookings, which shows their trust in the railways,” he said.

The minister said the nation will hear good news regarding expansion and reconstruction of Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar railway track, the Main Line-1 project, by December 31.”Prime Minister Imran Khan, finance minister, planning minister and I will finalize the modalities and will announce the good news before December 31,” he said, adding that his ministry is mulling similar development on ML-2 and ML-3 as well.

Published in Daily Times, December 9^th 2018.