Daily Times

The PML-N on Monday celebrated the test run of Orange Line Metro Train here at Lahore’s GPO Chowk while lauding the former CM Punjab Shehbaz Sharif for initiating the landmark project of mass transit. As per the details, hundreds of PML-N workers including MNAs, MPAs and former Lord Mayor of Lahore gathered at GPO Chowk to celebrate the test run of Orange Train that will formally be done on Tuesday (today). The jubilant workers of PML-N distributed sweets on the occasion at GPO Chowk while people also danced to the tunes of drum beats to celebrate the project initiated by their leader with the support of Chinese government.

Live performance of horse-dance was also arranged to amuse the participants present there. Speaking on the occasion, former Mayor of Lahore Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan, who headed this project in last tenure of PML-N, congratulated the people of Lahore and termed it a gift from Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif. “It is an eco-friendly project and all the passengers will be thankful to Nawaz Sharif when 0.25 million people will travel from this train,” he said and added that all the efforts to hinder this project were failed. He was of the view that opponents taunted at PML-N while terming the Metro Bus as ‘Jangla Bus’ but 15,0000 people are getting benefit by this project today. Khawaja Hassaan, who accompanied Shehbaz Sharif during his China visits as CM Punjab, also thanked the Chinese government for giving Pakistan the Orange Train. It is a gift of China to Pakistan and the Orange Train is the only project ever in which all the expenses were done by the China due to the personal efforts of Shehbaz Sharif, he added.

PML-N’s Additional Secretary General Atta Ullah Tarar said that whenever the projects for people’s welfare started, Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister of the country. He said that 12000MW electricity was produced by the PML-N and it was Nawaz Sharif who built the network of Motorways in Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif took interest as a captain in both the projects of Metro Bus and Orange Train, he added. Criticizing the PTI’s government, Tarar said that the PML-N completed three projects of Metro Bus but the PTI couldn’t completed even a single BRT project in Peshawar and it seems that it will not be completed in next 50 years. He also said that the cost of project was increased by 11 billion due to the delay of 22 months as PTI moved to courts against the project.

Speaking on the occasion, MPA Azma Bukhari said that those people should be ashamed today who were saying this project as ‘white elephant’. “The Orange Train was supposed to be on track one year ago if the court didn’t intervene in the project,” she said. The Green Line and Purple Line trains were also on our cards if the PML-N gets the government once again, she added. The MPA was of the view that the current government only did expenses on the ‘Royal Protocols’ while the PML-N allocated development funds in two budgets for the people.

MNAs Malik Pervaiz, Malik Riaz, Ali Malik, Shaita Pervaiz, MPAs Azma Bukhari, Rana Mashhood, Ch Shehbaz and former Mayor Col retd Mubashar were also present on the occasion along with hundreds of PML-N charged workers who chanted slogans for Nawaz Sharif. The Punjab government will run the Orange Train as test run today in Lahore formally.