LAHORE: Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that that issues with Saudi Arabia after the recent statement of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi have almost been settled as the chief of army staff and the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) would visit the kingdom on Sunday (today) and resolve, if any, the rest of the problem.

“Saudi Arabia is our real brother and close to our heart. The misunderstandings that emerged recently are over now. Since Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz are going there on Sunday, the rest of the issues (if still exist) would also be settled,” he told a press conference here on Saturday.

Mr Rashid termed the army and the Imran Khan-led government two wheels of the same vehicle.

“This time, the Pak army and the government of Imran Khan are at the same line and length. They are two wheels of the same vehicle. They give suggestions to each other,” he added.

Rashid says PML-N, PPP want to get an ‘NRO’ by using JUI-F chief

He said both the main opposition parties (the PML-N and the PPP) and Maulana Fazlur Rehman wanted to use one another on the pretext of the anti-government movement.

Criticising the opposition, he advised Maulana Fazl to stay vigilant while taking decisions about any joint anti-government movement.

“In fact, the opposition wants an NRO and it thinks that it may get that by using the JUI-F chief. But on the other hand, the maulana would use the kids (opposition) politically against the government. So nothing will happen,” he said. “But I urge the maulana to remain vigilant as the opposition just wants to get rid of cases, NAB, etc and is not interested in the anti-government movement,” Mr Ahmed said.

He criticised Maryam Nawaz for being responsible for creating issues for her father.

“It was Maryam who brought her father to this situation. And now she is after Shahbaz Sharif. The scene she created outside NAB Lahore office recently was aimed at diverting attention of the anti-corruption watchdog from her case about purchase of 200 acre land,” he said.

He made it clear that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was safe as the PM was standing by him. “He (Buzdar) is not going anywhere. And he will be there until Imran Khan keeps standing by him,” he maintained.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2020