Sheikh Rashid seeks answers to 10 questions from Nawaz

LAHORE: The Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday demanded that Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif should make public the number of calls he allegedly made to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “from outside Pakistan" and also the “agenda” of those calls.

“Why did you call the head of the enemy state [India] from outside Pakistan? Did you feel threatened that your calls were against national security and would be leaked?” Rashid asked as he made the startling allegation in a press conference held at the Railway headquarters, Lahore. The minister said: “Nawaz Sharif should tell [the nation] who gave India the address of Ajmal Kasab.” He also raised a number of questions before the media that he wanted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to answer. The Railways minister said Nawaz Sharif had played the role of an influential agent of India. "Cowards hold meetings in the darkness of night. "

In his press conference, he asked Nawaz to come clean regarding the money he allegedly received from Osama bin Laden. The minister also accused the former premier of taking money from Qatar for elections. “How much money did you spend in the 2013 elections and how much money did you receive through Saifur Rehman from Qatar? The nation should be informed about it, Sh Rashid said.

The minister then asked the former premier to tell the nation who sent busses full of attackers to target former chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah. He claimed that the PML-N "in London" planned the recent violence outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore office. He said they requested the media houses "not to show the footage of shoppers filled with stones."

He asked another question of Sharif as to “Who issued the letter through Hussain Haqqani with the forged signature of Peter Gilbert for Benazir's character assassination,” he asked.

Sh Rashid said the former premier "talks about the vote, but not about the court." “You made excuses that you were ill and left the county," he alleged.

The minister also slammed the PML-N supremo for "making speeches against Pakistan’s national security and institutions. Nawaz first denied the existence of DawnLeaks, but admits it now," he said. He was leaving these questions/ allegations and hoped that the PML-N would respond by Monday, said Sheikh Rashid.

He added that the Pakistan Army was standing shoulder to shoulder with the civil government. He said Gen Qamar Bajwa is the most respected person. Sh Rashid said he was not “the spokesperson for any institution” a day after proudly stating that he was proud of being “a spokesperson for the army”. I have never made a statement at the behest of anyone. I am a veteran of the Pakistan Army,” Sh Rashid added.

The ‘Tota’ [parrot] League will come out of the PML-N instead of 'S' League. Sh Rashid said the PML-'S' is a path to betterment. The Pakistan People’s Party would not resign from the Sindh Assembly at any cost, he claimed. In case PML-N quits elections would be held on those seats. Sh Rashid claimed that the best the opposition could do is to hold a series of meetings in December and nothing more. The minister said that Nawaz Sharif talks on personal agenda, instead of national issues.

He said he is untainted by corruption. Anyone can go to NAB against me,” the railway's minister said. He said among so many fugitives, Jahangir Tareen is also one. He said that the Maulana is working to stir a Shia and Sunni violence.

He admitted that sugar and flour had become very expensive. The old railway time table is being restored from October 15, while online booking of freight from Lahore will also be done from October 20, the minister said.