KARACHI: Federal Minister for Railway Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that political stability in the country will lead to better economic results and creating hurdles will impede progress. Speaking to the media at the metropolis’ City Station here on Saturday, he said that Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) was not a victim of political differences with the Pakistan Peoples Party. He added that earlier provincial governments were not interested in the project but the incumbent chief minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, has shown interest. He further said that he had met Shah on Friday and the project is heading in the right direction for the first time. Referring to Main Line 1 (ML1), the track running from Karachi to Peshawar, the minister said he will tread carefully on the upgradation of track. “My first priority is to tread carefully on ML1,” said Rafique. He added that the cost should suit Pakistan Railways (PR) and the conditions of the loan should also suit the organisation. Rafique further said that the project will take time to complete but will serve the country for the next century. Speaking of PR’s revenue, the minister said that the profit for the year was Rs40 billion, and the target for next year is Rs50bn. During the signing ceremony, the Chinese minister for transport had also assured of expediting work on Karachi Circular Railway, and other projects in Quetta and Peshawar.
Published in Daily Times, December 17th 2017.