JI chief questions four-hour Shalimar Express delay amid protest march

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Monday asked Pakistan Railways to explain a four-hour delay in the Shalimar Express, the train carrying his party's protest caravan from Sukkur to Multan, and questioned whether the disruption was connected to the JI march towards Islamabad.

The JI caravan left Karachi on Sunday on the Rehman Baba Express and reached Sukkur late Sunday. It was scheduled to continue to Multan on the Shalimar Express, but the train arrived at Rohri railway station about four hours late on Monday.

According to The Express Tribune, Rehman said: 'Does this delay have anything to do with our train march? Shalimar Express, which is not only a popular train but has been privatised, is delayed by four hours today.' He added that if such delays had become routine, the federal government should explain the performance of Pakistan Railways.

An official at the Karachi chief controller's office told the paper that the Shalimar Express had reached Karachi late at 7:20am because of an engine fault at Tando Adam in Sanghar district. This delayed its return journey; the train reached Hyderabad at 1:25pm instead of the usual 9:20am. The Pakistan Railways Karachi division said in a statement that delays were expected in the departure of some up trains because of late arrivals of down trains.

The Shalimar Express eventually left Rohri at around 5:45pm. Rehman was scheduled to address supporters after reaching Multan, from where the JI caravan would proceed towards Islamabad by road.

In a video shared by the party, Rehman said the first phase of the march had ended and the second phase had begun. He said separate caravans had also set out for Islamabad from Balochistan and Bab-i-Khyber. During his Sukkur stop, he renewed his demand for the withdrawal of the petroleum levy and said it was time Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif 'put his foot down' to provide relief to the people.