Lahore-Sialkot expressway: ‘Sharifs axed Sialkot motorway project’

Elahi says project cancelled due to political vindictiveness.

LAHORE: The government had cancelled the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway project after coming into power. It has now announced to launch a similar project, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi said on Tuesday.

Talking to a delegation of businessmen from Sialkot, he said the project would have been completed within five years. “It would have reduced the average time for travelling between Lahore and Sialkot from two and a half hours to only 45 minutes,” he said. Elahi said that the project was in its final planning phase when it was cancelled. “Our government had taken all steps. Even funds had been provided for land acquisition. Two industrial estates were also going to be established with the cooperation of China along the proposed motorway. The German and Swedish governments had agreed to set-up to polytechnic universities in the area as well. Sharif immediately scrapped the projects as soon as coming into power,” Elahi said.  He said the government had now announced to build an expressway between Lahore and Sialkot.

“These development projects would not have benefited me or my party after their completion. The vindictive attitude of the Sharif brothers caused irreparable loss to the people of Gujranwala and Sialkot divisions,” Elahi said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2015.