Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Azakhel Dry Port in Nowshera district on Friday said that this dry port will boost trade and generate more employment opportunities. He said the government is trying to turn the Pakistan Railways into a profitable organisation so that the common man can benefit from it.
"Not a single penny was spent on Railways during last 70 years," the PM lamented. He said: "The British rule had left behind ideal railways system in Pakistan, which is now in bad condition, which made losses worth billions."
Azakhel Dry Port was completed at an estimated cost of more than Rs 500 million which is eight kilometers away from Nowshera at the Grand Trunk (GT) Road that would help promote business and trade activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, Azakhel Dry Port will help in transfer of freight easily from Karachi Port to far flung areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It would also help in transfer of freight via road to Afghanistan. The PM claimed that the incumbent government has retrieved billion of rupees lands from occupants.
On the occasion, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Governor KP Shah Farman and KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, KP IGP, provincial chief secretary, senior officials from departments concerned, trade body leaders and exporters attended the inauguration ceremony of Azakhel Dry Port.
"Now let me tell you why no government has ever invested money on Railways because Railways is the medium of travel for the poor, not the rich. Money was always poured into things and projects that would benefit the rich elite of the country," the PM said.
Earlier, addressing at the ceremony Minister for Pakistan Railways Sheikh Rashid said: "Azakhel Dry Port project will promote business and trade in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I would like to suggest that we add the Peshawar-Jalalabad to the ML-1 track. I assure you PM if that happens all smuggling will end in the country."
He further said the Peshawar-Jalalabad railway project would connect Pakistan with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics and turn the province into a hub of trade, business and investment.
"I would also like to announce that PR will give raises to its employees from the revenue it is generating," Rashid said.
The minister said he was hopeful that the Pakistan Railways would become a profitable organisation within four years. He said the federal government had planned mega projects to strengthen and increase railway connectivity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said the government had decided to open the Nowshera-Dargai railways section, which would help promote tourism in Malakand division, including Swat, Dir, Chitral and Buner districts. The minister said the opposition parties had showed great political wisdom on the army chief extension issue.
"The unity demonstrated by political forces is a beginning of the new political process in the country. Atmosphere in parliament has improved, which is a good omen for democracy in the country," he said.
Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, who hails from Nowshera raised some issues which the Railways ministry and the PM's office could resolve.
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