Jamaat-i-Islami leader in Pakistan questions train delay — Dawn
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, leader of Pakistan’s Jamaat-i-Islami party, questioned in Sukkur the four-hour delay of the Shalimar Express train, on which participants in a protest march were to travel to Multan. He also called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to abolish the petroleum levy and reduce the price of petrol.
According to Dawn, the Jamaat-i-Islami march to Islamabad began from Karachi on Sunday and arrived in Sukkur in the evening aboard the Rehman Baba Express. From there, participants planned to continue to Multan on the Shalimar Express and then travel by road to Islamabad.
Shalimar Express delay
At a press conference, Rehman asked whether the Shalimar Express delay could be linked to the protest action. He noted that the train, which he said had been privatized, was four hours late.
The Jamaat-i-Islami leader said that when delays of four to five hours are routine and affect the entire railway system, the federal authorities must explain the operations of Pakistan Railways.
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An official from the Karachi control office said that the Shalimar Express arrived in Karachi late at 7:20 due to a locomotive malfunction that occurred in Tando Adam in Sanghar district. As a result, the train arrived in Hyderabad at 13:25 instead of the usual 9:20, shifting its expected arrival time at Rohri station near Sukkur, where the marchers’ convoy was waiting.
March participants’ demands
Rehman called the government’s subsidized fuel programme for motorcyclists insufficient. According to him, the authorities allocated 26 billion rupees for it each month, but the funds may not be fully used because not all motorcycles are registered.
At the same time, he said the government collects 150 billion rupees from the population each month in the form of a petroleum levy. Rehman also criticized the Pakistan Peoples Party, claiming that despite its stated support for the campaign against the federal government, obstacles are allegedly being created for the protest train’s movement and for people who want to meet it. Earlier, he warned that if the authorities refuse to abolish the levy, the protest could escalate into an action demanding the government’s resignation.
