HYDERABAD: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has advised opposition parties to open their eyes after suffering shock defeat in voting for no trust-motion against incumbent Senate chairman as it has set in motion their own downfall.

He told journalists at Kotri railway station on Thursday that Pak­istan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz were bound to face “bad days” ahead.

He said that he had predicted that Sadiq Sanjrani would survive the no-trust move and that the days of horse-trading were over. He had also said that opposition was digging its own grave and making Maulana Fazlur Rehman a “football” bet­ween them, though the maulana was thinking all along that it was he who would make opposition a “football”, he said.

He said that it was proved that thieves of public resources and money launderers had been weakened today as their own members betrayed them. If anybody created any problem for national economy or tried to weaken it he would weaken democracy, he added.

He said that no one should be mistaken about the fact that state institutions stood by Prime Minister Imran Khan. These “plunderers” must remember that if they played a wrong shot their politics would come to a permanent end, he cautioned.

He said that railways system would be revamped and he would launch another 100 trains after revival of 1,800km-long ML-1 track. If Chinese prime minister did not come he would invite Chinese minister for railways to the inauguration of ML-1, he said.

‘Ennobled thieves gifted Larkana with AIDS’

LARKANA: Mr Ahmed said during a brief stopover at Larkana railway station that “ennobled” looters and thieves of public resources had gifted Larkana with AIDS and hepatitis and caused ranks of the jobless to swell.

He said that his heart bled to see the plight of “Billoo Rani’s city” where people were forced to live in subhuman conditions. Past rulers had neglected people’s issues as Shahn­awaz Bhutto railway station bore witness to it, he said.

He said in answer to a question that economy and democracy were intertwined as the progress of one would strengthen the other. “We are making concerted efforts that will hopefully lead to strengthening both the economy and democracy,” he said.

“This government has given you three trains — Moenjodaro Express, Khu­s­hhal Khan Khattak and Sindh Express,” he said and promised launching of another new train from Karachi to Larkana after Eid.

He said the condition of the Larkana-Karachi track was highly precarious and vowed to repair the track that was laid in 1861. Over 800 unemployed youth from Lark­ana would be provided jobs in railways through draws within four months, he said.

He said that his ministry was ready to provide land alongside the track to the Sindh government if it was sincerely preparing a plan to establish residential colony for the families residing there. He was critical of Larkana residents’ choice of leaders and advised them to elect people from amongst them who could understand their problems.

Rasheed for strict punishment for ruling party graft suspects

DADU: Mr Ahmed said at Dadu railway station during inspection of Dadu-Larkana track that if a member of opposition parties was caught on charges of corruption he should be sentenced to seven years in jail but if a ruling party minister or member was found involved in graft he should be sent to jail for 14 years.

He said that opposition parties had united over one-point agenda of seeking NRO but PM Imran Khan would never submit to them.

At the Sehwan railway station, the federal minister said that train accidents had in fact reduced if compared to past record. A new railway station named after Lal Shahbaz Qalandar would be constructed after funds were arranged, he said.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2019