RAWALPINDI – Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed the resolve to lay down new railway tracks to facilitate common people of Pakistan.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Rawalpindi-Karachi bound Sir Syed Express train at Rawalpindi Station on Wednesday.
Imran Khan said railway provides the best and the easiest mode of transportation to common people. He said civilized societies always focus on improving their railway system. He said the government has signed an MOU with China regarding ML-1 to upgrade Pakistan’s railway tracks. He said with the completion of ML-1, there will be huge investment in Pakistan.
The Prime Minister said it has always been his priority to uplift the poor class of the country and his government has started Ehsas programme for the purpose under which an amount of 200 billion rupees has been earmarked in the budget.
Responding to Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s offer of reserving 1,000 stalls at various railway stations across Pakistan for the beneficiaries of Ehsas programme, Imran Khan said that those stalls will be allotted to needy people through a transparent balloting.
The Prime Minister lauded Sheikh Rashid Ahmed for his successful efforts to reduce Pakistan Railways’ deficit from 36 billion to 32 billion rupees in just nine months. He said unfortunately, corruption of previous governments led by PPP and PML-N ruined state institutions. He said they have plunged the country into debt trap, while poor people became poorer. He made it clear that he will not offer any kind of leniency or NRO to those who have looted the national wealth of Pakistan.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said 24 new trains have been started during last nine months, while deficit reduced by four billion rupees, and earned five billion rupees more profit. He said total debt of Pakistan Railways will be ended in five years.
The Minister said railways earned 700,000 additional passengers in last nine months and all the booking for Eid-ul-Azha has been completed. He said ticket for senior citizens of aged 65 years has been slashed to half, while elderly people of aged 75 and above will be given four free tickets in a year. He said now facility of doctors and chemists has been made available on major stations of the country.
