All know well Zardari, Nawaz are plunderers, says Sh Rashid

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Saturday that all know well that PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif are plunderers of the national wealth.

He said that there would be no economic stability without the political stability.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said: “We are stuck in a lot of crises and it is a well-known fact that IMF conditions will be really stiff and he as a minister has been reiterating this since day one that there is no other option but to approach the IMF for assistance.”

He expressed these views while speaking at a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce Industry (KCCI) on Saturday. Chairman Businessmen Group former president KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, vice chairmen BMG Zubair Motiwala and Anjum Nisar, General Secretary BMG AQ Khalil, President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda, Senior Vice President Khurram Shahzad, Vice President Asif Sheikh Javaid, MNA Aftab Jahangir, CEO Pakistan Railways Aftab Akbar and KCCI Managing Committee members were also present at the meeting.

Highlighting the improved performance of Pakistan Railways (PR), the minister said that PR has earned Rs4 billion more as compared to the earnings during the same period of previous year. “We have also provided three more container trains to the business community and the number of freight trains during Imran Khan’s period has enhanced from just 8 to 14, he added. He said that a total of 24 new trains have been initiated so far in which five categories have been defined for different types of passengers while the occupancy of Rehman Baba Train has reached 160 percent with improved earnings. “We have also initiated Jinnah Express and Green Line which will be followed by Sir Syed Express with a target to attract all five types of customers and our overall strategies have been very successful, he added.”

Referring to 1,760km-long ML-1 project from Karachi to Peshawar, the minister said that in this regard Prime Minister Imran Khan will be signing the agreement on 27th April 2019 which would result in laying of a completely new double track from Karachi to Peshawar with fencing on both sides and a minimum speed of 160km and work on this project will be completed in the next five years, he added.

Chairman Businessmen Group Former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli while referring to Imran Khan’s last year’s visit on July 22 to Karachi to meet the business community just a couple of days before the general election requested Sheikh Rashid to ask PM Imran Khan to honour all his commitments, including his commitment to visit KCCI. He said, “During the said meeting we suggested to remove all those individuals who are involved in wrongdoings and corruption.

Commenting on the forthcoming Amnesty Scheme, Siraj Teli said that the previous amnesty was better but this amnesty scheme would become a failure due to lack of trust as those individuals who declared their assets in the previous amnesty scheme were constantly being pursued and harassed by FBR, FIA and NAB. Amnesty without protection and without dealing with the trust deficit would lead to a failure, he added.

President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda in his welcome address stated that Karachi was one of the world’s most populous city and one of the mega cities. Lamentably it may be the only city of this size that doesn’t have a mass transit transport system now when surprisingly it did have Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) in the past. He said that Karachi produces about 30 of the manufactured good, handles 95 of foreign trade and contributes more than 70 to the national revenue yet it remains deprived of basic facilities including KCR.