Opposition meetings with COAS: All hell will break loose when I’ll share phone data, says Sh Rasheed

LAHORE: Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has said the opposition has started crying over just the news he gave about their meetings with the army chief, but what will happen to them when he will share their mobile phone data [with the press].

He was talking to the media after inaugurating the tree plantation campaign here on Friday. He spoke of the recent meetings between civil and military leadership and said: "I have only made small references to the meetings [...] If I share mobile phone data, all hell will break loose."

However, he added, meeting with the country’s chief of the army staff and the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] head was an honour and not an embarrassment. Referring to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif's speech via video link to the opposition’s all parties conference, he said the address "was that of [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi and [Indian industrialist Sajjan] Jindal". He claimed that Maryam Safdar had damaged the politics of Nawaz Sharif the most.

The minister said that the opposition only wanted clash with Prime Minister Imran Khan to sabotage the upcoming Senate elections. Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken the "wickets" of PML-N and PPP, he said, adding, however: "My heart [beats] for Shahbaz Sharif.”

The minister said that Imran Khan was planting a tree to eliminate corruption from the country. Imran Khan will not rest until corruption was rooted out of the country, he added. The Awami Muslim League president said that the opposition would neither stage a sit-in, nor resign from the assemblies. They will not even move a vote of no confidence in the parliament, he said.

"I will organise gatherings to expose the reality of the opposition the next day wherever the opposition would organise any rally in any city," he added. Sheikh Rasheed, stating he was proud of being labelled the "Pakistan Army's spokesperson," said he was "not an Indian agent".

He acknowledged rising inflation in the country, saying he could not shoot down the claim.

The minister also spoke of his ministry's performance. "We have to get the railways [back on track] with China's help," he said. The railways minister said that the Main-Line-1 (ML-1) would prove to be a game-changer for the country.