LAHORE: Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad says the Pakistan Railways has decided to introduce a ‘free track policy’ by allowing private parties to use the PR tracks by running their own trains.

Speaking at a press conference at PR headquarters here on Saturday, he said the railways had decided to outsource its nine passenger and freight trains this year. “Three freight trains have already been outsourced,” he said.

He admitted that the main reason for the increasing train accidents is the decaying rail track built in 1861.

“The increasing train accidents are just because of the decaying main line track of 1861. And the ML-1 (main line-1) is the only solution to control accidents.” he said.

Says nine trains to be outsourced; PM to take action against flour, sugar ‘mafia’

The minister hinted at early decisions on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cases involving former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

“Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is speaking these days. Soon there will be decisions on LNG cases and the nation will come to know about the [LNG] rates etc,” he said when asked about the likelihood of some in-house change in the country [keeping in view the Abbasi-led PML-N delegation’s recent meeting with Farooq Sattar].

“No, I don’t mean it. It is up to you how you take this (understand my comment),” he said when asked did he mean that Mr Abbasi should stop talking, otherwise he would be behind the bars again.

Criticising PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for calling Prime Minister Imran Khan ‘selected’, Rashid said Bilawal should consider himself a ‘selected’ chairman of a party having most senior politicians.

He said PPP would never be able to win election in Punjab.

“Shahbaz Sharif is buying and wearing new hats and coats daily. “But he is my friend, as he says ‘meri bimari meri marzi’,”the minister said in a lighter vein.

Rashid said the nation would soon hear a good news about the sugar and wheat flour crises, as Imran Khan is set to take action against all those involved in this fiasco.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2020