TOBA TEK SINGH, Sept 14: Since the announcement of Pakistan Railways that a train would be running between Lahore and Khanewal via Faisalabad, Gojra, Toba and Shorkot Cantonment by the end of current month as a three-month experiment, three prominent politicians have claimed credit for getting this longstanding demand of the local people approved.

Punjab Minister for Forest and Fisheries Dr Ashfaqur Rehman, a PML-Q man from Toba Tek Singh, was the third person to make the claim after Gojra MNA Chaudhry Amjad Ali Warraich of the PML-Junejo and Toba MNA Mian Farhan Latif of the PML-Q, nephew of district Nazim Chaudhry Ashfaq.

Dr Rehman’s supporters distributed leaflets in the town on Saturday and Sunday, claiming that the project was a result of minister’s efforts.

Interestingly, Mr Warraich has now announced that he would receive the train at the Toba railway station and his younger brother, MPA Chaudhry Bilal Asghar Warraich, at the Gojra station.

MNA Mian Latif has also announced that his uncle, the district Nazim, will arrange a reception on train’s arrival at the Toba railway station on the same day on behalf of the district government.

The train 109-down/108-up will leave Lahore for Khanewal at 6pm and reach Toba Tek Singh at 9:20pm.

Meanwhile, Millat Party chief organizer Ghiasuddin Janbaz and former PPP MPA Mian Rafiq lauded the Pakistan Railways’ decision in separate statements on Sunday, saying that it was 16 years ago that Dachi Express running on the same route between Shorkot and Lahore was closed just to please some transporters.