Tired elements want to stop CPEC through rallies: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the exhausted politicians and defeated elements want to stop the CPEC project through sit-ins and processions, but they will not succeed in their nefarious designs.

He was talking to the media after the Modern Tree Transplanter Demonstration ceremony on the Maulana Shaukat Ali Road on Sunday. He said the PTI and the PPP moved the court against the Orange Line Metro Train project. The lawyers of these parties leveled a baseless allegation that corruption of billions of rupees had been committed but, he said, Rs 80 billion of the nation had been saved in this project.

Shahbaz said he was ready to write with his blood that if corruption of even a single penny was proved in this project, he should be held accountable. He said the high court gave a decision on 300 pages but did not write even a single word about corruption. He said it was a victory of honesty and hardwork.

He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, development works were being carried out speedily throughout the country including Punjab, but the defeated elements and tired politicians once again were making futile efforts to sabotage the journey of progress.

Shahbaz said these elements did not like bright future and employment for the Pakistani youth and progress and prosperity in the country. He said they once again were out to create hurdles for prosperity, but the conscious people of Pakistan would defeat them.

He said the target of a head of a political party, who should pay attention to the general elections 2018, was not the elections but the CPEC on which work was being carried out round the clock.

He said the 1,320MW Sahiwal Coal Power Project would be completed eight months before its stipulated period in June 2017 and the Chinese companies have given an assurance in this regard. He said the CPEC was giving a message of progress in the country and thousands of people would get jobs.

He said the defeated politicians did not want the common man to benefit from modern and world standard transport facilities like metro train through which labourers, teachers, nurses, students, farmers, widows, lawyers and workers would cover 27-km distance in 45 minutes only.

He said these people travelled in large vehicles and created hurdles for projects aimed at poor people’s welfare. He said he would not allow these elements to do so and go to the last limit for the completion of projects facilitating the poor.

He said he would not tolerate any pressure in this regard and serve the masses till his last breath. He said the modern tree transplantation had been introduced for the first time in the history of Pakistan. He said this modern technique would be extended to the entire province.

He congratulated Kh Ahmad Hassan, Vice Chairman of PHA, Iftikhar Ahmed, Director General of PHA, and the Lahore administration, saying that it is “our collective responsibility to bring improvement through innovation”. He said with the new technology, trees would not be cut but would be shifted from one place to another.

He also congratulated the civil society and the Save Lahore Movement and said that they went to court but did nothing on implementation of this technique. It was better for them to inform the government in this regard, he added.

Earlier, Shahbaz witnessed the demonstration of re-plantation of a tree through Tree Transplanter. The PHA DG gave a briefing on this occasion. Kh Ahmed Hassan, the Lahore commissioner, the DG PHA, PHA vice chairman, Lahore DCO and other officials were present.