RAWALPINDI, Oct 11 (APP)::Minister for Railway Khawja Saad Rafique Wednesday said it was a sign of doomsday that Asif Ali Zardari had been acquitted by an accountability court while Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court for not getting salary from his son.
Inaguarating upgraded ‘Awam Express’ here at the Rawalpindi Railway Station, the minister said some political actors were responsible for political instability and blocking development process in the country.
He said Sheikh Rasheed was a “political joker” and he did not take him seriously,
Saad said the Awam Express was upgraded at a cost of Rs 100 million by the Pakistan Railways from its own revenue.
He said work on the rehabilitation of Kohat-Rawalpindi track had been kicked off and the train service on the route would start in December.
The minister said some 4 new railway stations were being set up. The Railways’ revenue was Rs 18 billion in 2013 and durimg the current year it had earned Rs 40 billion.
He said the privatization of national institutions was not a solution and those who considered it
essential should see the turnaround of Railways.
The case of Business Train defaulters, he said, was with the National Accountability Burea, which had no time to hear it.
He said that the revenue generated by the Shalimar Express had surged to Rs 1.82 billion from Rs 60.6 million in the past as its
previous agreement was not renewed.
He said a big chunk of Railways’ land had been recovered and those who had occupied the Royal Palm Club were still at large.
Zardari’s acquittal sign of doomsday: Saad
