LAHORE -  Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif Sunday accuses the political rivals of making efforts to sabotage the China Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

Talking to media after Modern Tree Transplanter Demonstration ceremony, the Punjab chief minister counted a number of development works being carried out by the PML-N government under PM Nawaz Sharif throughout the country and said defeated elements once again were making futile efforts to sabotage the journey of progress.

Shehbaz said the target of a head of political party, who should pay attention to general elections of 2018, is CPEC, on which the work is being carried out round the clock and projects under CPEC were being completed speedily.

He said that frustrated politicians want to stop CPEC through sit-ins and processions but they would not succeed in their nefarious designs as people would defeat them.

He said the 1320 Megawatt Sahiwal Coal Power Project would be completed eight months before its stipulated period in June 2017. He said the CPEC was giving a message of progress and prosperity in the country creating thousands of jobs.

Shehbaz said the work on progress and prosperity of common man has been started and Pakistani people would foil the conspiracy of those elements creating hurdles in the process.

He said the PTI and Peoples Party went to the court against Orange Line Metro Train Project and their lawyers leveled baseless allegations regarding corruption of billions of rupees in the project.

An emotional Shehbaz said he was ready to write with his blood that if corruption of even a single penny proved in this project, he should be held accountable. He said the court’s 300 pages order did not mention even a single word regarding alleged corruption and that was the victory of honesty and hard work. He said the factual position was that the Rs80 billion of the nation has been saved in this project.

Shehbaz said defeated politicians did not want that common man should benefit from modern and world standard transport facility like metro train through which labourers, teachers, nurses, students, farmers, widows, lawyers and workers will cover 27-kilometre distance only in 45 minutes. He said these elements travel in large vehicles but create hurdles in the way of projects aimed at welfare of poor people.

The chief minister said he would not let these elements to succeed and vowed to serve the masses till his last breath. He said the Modern Tree Transplanter has been introduced first time in the history of the country.

A successful demonstration was displayed for shifting of a tree from one place to another through Modern Tree Transplanter. The chief minister said this modern technique will be extended to the entire province. Shehbaz congratulated Kh Ahmad Hassan, Vice Chairman PHA Iftikhar Ahmed, Director General PHA and Lahore administration and said that it was a collective responsibility to bring improvement through innovation. He said with new technology, trees would not be cut but transferred from one place to another.