Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that convening of UN Security Council session for pondering over the volatile situation in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir is an important foreign policy achievement of the PTI government.
In a statement, he said that the worst situation in Jammu & Kashmir required the immediate attention of the international community as 163 days have passed to continuous lockdown there. Worst human rights violations were being committed by the Indian government in Occupied Kashmir and lacs of oppressed Kashmiris were forced to live a miserable life being confined to their homes, he added. The chief minister regretted that depriving the patients of treatment facilities was the worst cruelty. On the other side, he added that the Indian army was engaged in continuous genocide of Kashmiris. ‘We would not sit silent over continued human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir where the situation is very serious and the government would continue to raise voice in support of oppressed Kashmiris’, he added.
The CM has expressed a deep sense of sorrow over the loss of lives due to snowfall and rains in different parts of Azad Kashmir. He extended sympathies to the bereaved heirs and prayed for early recovery of the injured. The Punjab government is available for helping the affected population and they will not be left alone in this difficult moment, he added.
Later, he presided over a meeting at his office here on Tuesday to review operational and maintenance contract of Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project. The meeting decided to forward the operational and maintenance contract to the law department for a legal opinion. The chief minister directed that matters relating to the contract should be settled according to rules adding that government wants to operationalise the project quickly for the benefit of the people.
The necessary matters should be disposed of early, he added. Usman Buzdar said that fare would be according to the capacity of the common man and final approval will be given by the Punjab cabinet. Secretary Transport briefed that a Chinese company NORINCO International has won the operational and maintenance contract.
Progress is being made speedily and the test run is going on successfully. The 27.1 KM long journey will be completed in 45 minutes and around 2.45 lakh passengers will travel daily, he added. Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht, MD Punjab Masstransit Authority and secretaries of finance and transport departments attended the meeting.
