- Shehbaz exhorts SCO member states to make collective efforts towards regional development
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang on Tuesday said that the Orange Line Metro Train project was a gift of the Chinese government to the people of Pakistan and pledged his country’s continued cooperation to Pakistan in transport as well as all sectors of progress and development.
The Chinese premier made these remarks while talking to Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a ceremony at Chinese city Zhengzhou.
The chief minister apprised Keqiang of the details of the project with the help of maps and pictures. He also informed him that work on the project was in progress expeditiously and would be completed within two years. He said that special attention was being paid to both the speed and standard of work.
Sharif told the Chinese premier that the people of Pakistan considered the Orange Line Metro Train project as a living symbol of everlasting friendship between Pakistan and China. He said the Pakistani nation was grateful to the Chinese government and people for their historic cooperation, and added that the government was utilising every penny of Chinese investment as a sacred trust.
Later talking to a group of reporters on a separate occasion, the chief minister said that work was in progress on several projects of power generation in Pakistan with the cooperation of China to cope with the shortage of electricity while projects for generation of energy under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were also being implemented speedily.
He said that full attention was being paid to the energy sector and thousands of megawatts of electricity would be added to the national grid with the completion of a number of power projects by the end of 2017 which would help bring the power load shedding under control.
The CM said that the role of China was of vital importance in the promotion of regional cooperation and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) could play a key role in this regard. He also called on SCO member states to make collective efforts for development of the region and further promote regional cooperation.