'Azadi march': Pakistan Railways dismisses PTI request for special train
LAHORE: The Pakistan Railways on Tuesday dismissed the application submitted by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for provision of a special train to travel from Karachi to Rawalpindi on August 12.
The Pakistan Railways administration rejected the plea stating that due to the large influx of passengers travelling after summer vacations, it would be hard to arrange separate 14 compartments to accommodate the party workers.
PTI Member of the Provincial Assembly Khurram Sherzaman warned that if arrangement of the special train was not made for the PTI supporters then no one else would be allowed to travel by train.
The Karachi chapter of the PTI had requested PR to arrange for a special train and their application was then forwarded to the railway headquarters.
The PR headquarters inquired the feasibility from its police, operations and commercial subdivisions which expressed inability due to the issue’s political orientation, adding that the special train could only be arranged if the Sindh and Punjab government agreed to provide surplus security.
Earlier, the PTI Sindh chapter president Nadir Akmal Khan Laghari, had said that the government had resorted to dilly-dallying tactics in providing them a special train to travel to Rawalpindi from Karachi for which the party had applied 10 days back.
— Additional reporting by Rana Fawad