Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday said that he will ask Asad Umar to continue being a part of the cabinet.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Rashid said that a minister whom he never imagined would be asked to leave was left out after the cabinet reshuffle.

"Only one minister was removed and that was due to the [rising] medicine prices; Asad Umar resigned himself," Rashid said, making an oblique reference likely to Aamir Mehmood Kiani, who was unceremoniously relieved of the health ministry.

Rashid, after attending a meeting under Prime Minister Imran Khan's stewardship in Banigala later in the day, rejected the notion that the ministers whose portfolios have been changed were aggrieved. "They are all [with the party]," he insisted.

He said that Umar "is a part of the PTI, he represents PTI's philosophy and has made sacrifices for Imran Khan. I am sure that sooner or later he would come back to serve in some capacity."

Expressing his confidence in Imran Khan's ability to run the country, Rashid said: "This is taking so long because the captain is taking time to set his team."

"I see Imran Khan completing his five years," Rashid said, responding to speculation that the political turbulence had weakened the government's hand.

Rashid further stated that Imran Khan is working hard as a prime minister and that Asad Umar had worked hard to save the economy. "Countries are not lost in wars, they are lost through bad economic policy," Rashid said.

Commenting on his political opponents, Rashid said that he does not see any political future for Shahbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif or the Zardaris.

"If Bilawal stands up for his father's corruption, his political career will be over," the railways minister predicted.