A day after Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chauhdry questioned Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed’s authority to suspend to Samjhota Express without the cabinet’s approval, the railways minister said that the former has a habit of meddling in the affairs of other ministries.
Speaking on a local media outlet, Fawad said Rasheed did not have the authority to shut down the services of the Samjhauta Express, which runs from Lahore to Attari, and the decision should have been made by the federal cabinet.
Subsequently, both ministers also had a heated exchange of words during a cabinet meeting after the announcement of the discontinuation of Samjhauta Express after India revoked special status of Kashmir. Rasheed reportedly informed the prime minister of Fawad’s statement, endorsed by his colleagues.
In a press conference, the information minister, Firdous Ashiq Awan, downplayed the reports of a rift between the two ministers, saying Fawad through his light-hearted criticism always adds value to the cabinet meeting. “This time, it was Sheikh Rasheed which came up on his radar,” she added.
This is not the first time both ministers had a difference of opinion.
In December last year, when Fawad was the information minister, Rasheed had said that the prime minister had offered him Fawad’s ministry who was on an ‘8-day picnic trip to London’.