Daily Times

LAHORE: It seems that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has developed a penchant for metro bus service, as he has announced the project for ‘Manchester of Pakistan’.

Addressing the local bodies’ convention in Faisalabad on Saturday, the chief minister said that the metro bus service will be a gift of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the people of Faisalabad. He said that work on the metro bus project would be started this year

Besides, the chief minister also announced establishment of Information Technology and Skills University in Faisalabad. “Once established, he said, the university would educate thousands of children.

In a veiled yet apparent reference to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he said that those, who were terming the metro bus service ‘jangla bus’ had launched the project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

He said that politics of agitation had badly damaged the economy of Pakistan. On one side, there are people, who have damaged the national economy through agitation; while on the other side, the country has been moved to prosperity under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.”

Referring to prevailing energy crisis, he said that energy projects were being efficiently installed, and that pace of work on the energy projects, including 1,200MW gas power plant in Bhikki, 1,200MW gas power plant in Haveli Bahadur Shah and 1,200MW Balloki gas power plant, had been expedited.

The chief minister also took a swipe at former president Asif Ali Zardari, saying: “The nation wants to know that if Zardari initiated the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) or Gwadar projects, then why he forgot to lay the foundation stones in his regime.”

He said that the vegetable market in Faisalabad had been relocated but people were still occupying the state land. “The Information Technology and Skills University would be established here by retrieving the land from land grabbers.

He said that Faisalabad is a mega-industrial city of Pakistan, and the establishment of the university would be a landmark project in the history of the city. He said that construction and restoration work roads from farms to markets would be completed with a total outlay of Rs 90 billion by June 2017.

Separately, the chief minister Saturday went to the residence of martyred inspector of the Anti-Terrorism Force, Fida Hussain, and paid rich tribute the martyr for his sacrifice.

Shahbaz announced to recruit the son of the martyred inspector as a sub-inspector and presented a cheque of financial aid worth Rs 15 million to the family of the martyred inspector.

Meanwhile, the chief minister has congratulated the Christian community on Easter. In his message to the Christian community on Easter, he said, “We equally share the happiness of the Christian community. He said that the Christian community was playing its role in the development of the country. He said that the role of the Christian community in development and prosperity of Pakistan was commendable.