Sheikh Rasheed rules out any threat to PTI govt

NOWSHERA: Ruling out any no-confidence move against the government, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said on Wednesday that there was no threat to the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He clarified that though the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) had quit the ministry, it was still part of the coalition. He was talking to reporters at the Pakistan Locomotive Factory in Risalpur after a ceremony held to inaugurate the five locomotives which were repaired.

However, Sheikh Rasheed predicted in his usual style that politics could experience some ups and downs in February or March, but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would continue to rule under Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He added Imran Khan had admitted that the demands of the MQM-P were genuine so there was no issue in addressing their grievances. Turning to his ministry, he added that steps were being taken to increase the revenue of the Pakistan Railways. He said that the number of the passengers traveling on the trains had registered a sharp increase in the last 15 months. Sheikh Rasheed said that his ministry was working hard to provide more and more facilities to the passengers and to serve them diligently. He said that it was his desire to make the Pakistan Railways a profit-making entity.

The Pakistan Locomotive Factory Risalpur would manufacture 180 more coaches, he said, adding, about 69 engines had been out of order for the last 20 years, but no steps were taken in the past to repair the faulty locomotives. The minister said that the Karachi-Peshawar railway track (ML-1 project) would be completed. He added that after the completion of the project, the Karachi-Peshawar journey would take just eight hours.