JI raises alarm over delay in protest train

"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 said. "If this delay in its [Shalimar Express] is a usual delay, then the federal government should explain the performance of Pakistan Railways," Rehman said.

He said that if four- to five-hour delays and their impact on the wider railway system had become routine, then the government's performance was there for everyone to see.

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

In a video shared by JI showing Rehman travelling by train, the party chief said the "first phase" of the march had ended and the second phase had begun with the journey towards Multan. He said separate caravans had also set out for Islamabad from Balochistan and Bab-i-Khyber.

An official at the Karachi chief controller's office, meanwhile, said the Shalimar Express had reached Karachi late, arriving at 7:20am, which delayed its return journey towards Hyderabad. The official attributed the late arrival to an engine fault that developed at Tando Adam in Sanghar district.

The train consequently reached Hyderabad at 1:25pm instead of its usual 9:20am arrival time, delaying its onward journey to Rohri railway station, where Rehman's caravan was waiting. The Pakistan Railways Karachi division, in a separate statement, said delays were expected in the departure of some up trains "due to delays in the arrivals of several down trains".

The railway disruption came as Rehman used his stop in Sukkur to renew his demand for withdrawal of the petroleum levy. He said it was time Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif "put his foot down" and scrapped the levy to provide "much-needed relief" to the people.