Sheikh Rashid inaugurates Kohat-Lahore rail cars

RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Monday restored Kohat and Lahore Rail Cars which were suspended due to COVID-19. Talking to media persons here at Rawalpindi Railway Station he said, the public meetings of the opposition parties cannot derail the government.

The Prime Minister Imran Khan was ready to talk with the opposition parties on all issues except NAB and NRO.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the incumbent government would complete its constitutional term of five years.

To a question he said, the writ of the government cannot be called a baton as the government was striving to enforce law and protect the public from Covid-19.He advised the opposition parties to enter into dialogue with the government to steer the country out of the political impasse. It is in the interest of the opposition parties to hold dialogue with the government, he added. Politicians never close doors for dialogue, irrespective of what they utter publicly, he said.

To another question he said, Bilawal Bhutto got infected with coronavirus from the public meeting of Peshawar.

He said, Shahbaz Sharif had talked about dialogue and the process should be initiated. He informed that the prices of daily use items including flour and sugar had started falling which would go down further as the government had taken solid steps.

The government was well aware of the current security situation in the region, he said while rejecting any possibility of recognizing Israel.

There was no threat to the country from the boarders however some vested interest elements were trying to create unrest in the country, he added. He informed that the Prime Minister Imran Khan had chaired a meeting about Lai Expressway.

Lai Expressway and Main Line-1 (ML-1) Projects were signed nearly 16 years ago but could not be materialised.

The incumbent government would complete both the projects, he said.

The Kohat Rail car comprising nine coaches has a capacity of 850 passengers while the fare from Rawalpindi to Kohat would be Rs 230. The train would complete its journey from Rawalpindi to Kohat within three and half hours time.

The train will stop at Golra Sharif, Tarnol, Fateh Jang, Basal Sharif, Basal Domail, Jund and Babri Banda.

Similarly, the Lahore train will be able to carry 690 passengers with stoppages at Chaklala, Gujjar Khan, Jhelum, Lala Musa, Gujrat, Wazirabad and Gujranwala.

The PR has finalized arrangements to implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) announced by the government to control Covid-19 spread.