LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday hailed US President Donald Trump’s involvement in stopping the war between Pakistan and India, calling it a “big diplomatic achievement” for Pakistan.

“US President Mr Trump has said that he got the war between Pakistan and India stopped. There is no achievement bigger than this diplomatic achievement,” PM Shehbaz said while speaking at a gathering after inaugurating the upgraded Pak Business Express and newly introduced passenger facilities at Lahore railway station.

“We are streamlining our relations with the United States,” he added.

On Pakistan’s relations with China, PM Shehbaz said work was underway on the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. “We are in full coordination with China on the CPEC-2,” he said.

Lauds railways for upgrading dining facilities and other services like Wi-Fi

He also highlighted improvements in Pakistan’s economic performance, including a drop in inflation from 38pc to 5pc and a reduction in the policy rate to 11pc.

Railway ‘progress’

In his address, the prime minister acknowledged the deterioration of Pakistan’s railway system, once considered a model for public transport. “The railway system in Pakistan was once the best, but unfortunately, it faced destruction,” he said, adding that he had appointed Hanif Abbasi as Minister for Railways to address these issues.

PM Shehbaz applauded the railways for upgrading its passenger services, including the introduction of Wi-Fi, escalators, modern dining rooms and clean washrooms, as well as the ending of obsolete ticket checking and purchasing systems. He stressed the need for further digitisation to meet future goals.

He asked Mr Abbasi to revive international freight services through goods train operations and commended the improvements in cleanliness and the provision of ATMs at railway stations.

Mr Abbasi, in his address, discussed ongoing developments in the railway sector, including digitisation, new coaches and the expansion of online ticketing services. He stressed that the railways had earned Rs93 billion in revenue during the 2024-25 fiscal year, with support from provincial governments for infrastructure improvements.

Kyrgyzstan ties

PM Shehbaz on Tuesday also met with a high-level delegation from Kyrgyzstan, led by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Edil Baisalov, to discuss bilateral cooperation.

The delegation is in Pakistan for the 5th Session of the Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan Joint Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The premier welcomed the delegation and praised the successful convening of the IGC session. He appreciated the signing of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs), which he believed would enhance trade, energy cooperation, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.

SCO visit

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz is expected to head to China today (Wednesday) to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, PM Office sources said.

He is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese leadership during the visit and will also meet world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The PM has convened the federal cabinet’s meeting today (Wednesday).

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2025