Not consulted on lockdown, says Sheikh Rashid

Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid on Tuesday said he was not taken into confidence about the lockdown decision and warned that the situation could worsen if the workers intending to return to their hometowns were not shifted.

Rashid said any decision about shutting down the entire operations after consulting and permission of Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday after which he would make an important announcement/ Thirty-four out of a total of 142 trains had already been halted, he added.

He said the train service would be halted by Tuesday evening in Sindh. The workers wanted to go back to their native areas from different parts of the country as a result of the lockdown, the minister said.

Rashid said problems about trains were emerging from Sindh, adding that no train could be stopped halfway through its journey.

Earlier, it was reported on Monday that the authorities were considering suspending the train service from Karachi to other parts of the country.

Fifty-six trains run between the port city and other destinations across Pakistan and they were mulling over shutting another 20.