He claimed that under Shehbaz Sharif’s directive, the railway minister had effectively given China the red light on the project.

Barrister Saif questioned the implications of Hanif Abbasi’s statement that Pakistan would build ML-1 on its own.

“What message has he sent to China?” he asked.

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He further criticised the timing of the statement, coming despite China’s recent extension of a $2 billion loan repayment by one year.

He went on to allege that Abbasi’s statement was made under the influence of ephedrine and likened it to another “suicidal attack” on Pak-China relations, following negative remarks by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

The KP information adviser accused the Shehbaz government of damaging ties with China, much like it did with Afghanistan.

“The railway minister’s announcement of an ML-1 project minus China signals a policy shift. If the Foreign Office does not clarify this, it should be considered an official government stance,” he warned.

Barrister Saif also ridiculed the government’s financial situation, questioning how it planned to fund the ML-1 project.

“A government that failed to pay PTV employees by the 16th of the month — how does it expect to build ML-1 with ephedrine money?” he remarked.