Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will inaugurate the e-ticketing system on July 20 at Rawalpindi. To reduce half hour time consumption from Lahore to Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Railways has started Rawalpindi Express on trial basis, and after getting positive consequences it will be regularised.
Addressing a press conference at the Lahore Railway station, he said that ticketing through credit card had been successful and the response received by the PR was beyond expectations. The minister said the travelling time between Rawalpindi to Karachi would also be reduced from 22 hours to 16 hours after the successful experiment of the Rawalpindi Express. It is the ardent desire of the PR administration to provide world class facilities to its passengers, he added.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmad also said that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi would inaugurate Mianwali Express on July 20, which would be a revolutionary step towards the betterment of the far-flung areas of Pakistan.
Moreover, he said that Mugulpura workshop would be modernised and 80-year-old equipment would be removed. In response to a question, the minister said that Benazir would come back after the understanding with the government, "but Sharif brothers would land in the country to go back to Saudi Arabia."
He appealed to the government to give more time to the Election Commission to enlist the voters because more than 20 million people did not get their names listed in the voting list. The people are not taking keen interest in the election process, he pointed out.
He averted that President Pervez Musharraf would get the vote for presidential election from the present assemblies.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmad also said that on the occasion of the presidential election neither any political party would go for walkout nor opt for resignations because they are well aware of the political situation of the country and the position of the Pakistan Muslim League, which had sufficient vote bank to elect Musharraf.