LAHORE: Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid has said that he has no issues with Maryam Nawaz’s appointment as a PML-N vice president, and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) can better comment on the issue.

He further said Jahangir Tareen had become a ‘has-been’ after the apex court decision against him.

“Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s appointment as PML-N vice president is not an issue for me, as PTI can comment on this. As far as Jahangir Tareen is concerned, the court has declared him bowled out on LBW. And a reference has also been moved against him,” he said when asked why Maryam’s appointment to a party office was being criticised by PTI leaders, ignoring the fact that a disqualified Tareen almost regularly participated in cabinet meetings.

“He (Tareen) is neither my friend nor does he have any relation with me. But he is a talented man who has become a has-been in the light of the court verdict. I have never been a favourite with the sugar mafia any way,” the minister said, while responding to media queries at a press conference at Pakistan Railway headquarters here on Saturday.

Says no problem with Maryam’s posting as PML-N vice president

The minister avoided responding to the question that why a man was appointed the FBR chairman whose name was placed on the Exit Control List on court orders in the past. “I don’t know about this,” he maintained.

Asked why he criticised former premier Nawaz Sharif’s children staying abroad when Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sons lived in the UK along with their mother, Rashid said there was a difference between Sharif and Khan’s children. “They (Khan’s sons) are living abroad along with their mother, while Imran Khan is living with his wife here in Pakistan. They are not like Nawaz Sharif’s sons who were born rich due to the wealth their father looted,” he claimed.

He also came down hard on the PPP chairman and co-chairman for not following Benzair Bhutto’s murder case in Rawalpindi court. “It is really sad that neither the husband nor son of the late Benzair Bhutto attended a single hearing of her case,” he added.

Talking about his department’s performance, the minister said PM Khan would inaugurate the Sir Syed Express on June 15. “We are preparing to launch this train that will consist of an economy class. We are trying hard not to enhance rail fares for economy class despite massive increase in diesel price,” he claimed.

Rashid also claimed that despite various challenges the Pakistan Railways had earned Rs45 billion during the ongoing fiscal year, which was Rs5bn higher than the same period last year. Besides, in a bid to raise income, the railways department had also sold scrap worth approximately Rs1bn. Massive amounts have also been saved through cutting back of 1.7 million litres of diesel. The minister dispelled the impression that railways was being privatised. “There is no plan to privatise the railways.”

He further said that under the Peshawar-Karachi mainline-1 project, which was funded under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, an 1,800-kilometre-long track would be laid that will have no gate or crossing. A special committee has been constituted to start work on the Karachi circular railway in light of the Supreme Court’s orders.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2019