Hanif Abbasi credits PM Shehbaz for Pak-Saudi strategic accord

Federal Minister for Railways, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said that the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA), finalized with Saudi Arabia is a result of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s efforts, and is good news for the entire nation. 

Addressing a press conference, Abbasi said Pakistan Railways was being developed across all sectors, with repairs to ‎old coaches and the addition of new ones to be completed by December 31. He noted that four new racks of the ‎Lahore-Rawalpindi railcar had already been revamped.‎

The minister also announced that guards’ and drivers’ residences would be improved, new coaches would be added ‎to the Shalimar Express, and a special train would run between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. He revealed that the ‎Margalla station would be extended to Ninth Avenue for direct metro access, while new units imported from China ‎would operate every half hour.‎

He said Saudi Arabia is our brotherly country and the ties between the two nations would attain new heights in the days to come. 

He highlighted that the agreement would usher in a new era of improvement and cooperation across various sectors, including railways. Abbasi further highlighted ongoing efforts to restore tracks damaged by floods, improve cleanliness standards at all ‎stations, strengthen coordination with the Sindh government, and finalize an upcoming agreement with Thar Coal.‎

Abbasi also praised Mohsin Naqvi for his performance as chairman but criticized the overall ‎team’s performance, calling for improvement. He also expressed that an attack on Saudi Arabia would now be ‎considered an attack on Pakistan and vice versa, congratulating the nation on the new Saudi-Pak agreement that ‎took months to finalize. Abbasi added that India was still reeling from its defeat and seeking revenge in Balochistan ‎and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.‎