Orange Line train project to be completed by July 2019, says Aleem Khan

LAHORE: Provincial Minister of Punjab for Local Government Aleem Khan confirmed on Wednesday that the Orange Line project will be completed in June-July 2019.

Speaking to the press, the senior minister debunked the rumours that suggested the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's provincial government desired to scrap the project.

"We won't close the project. As many as Rs300 billion have already been spent on the project; even if I want to I can't [scrap] it now," Aleem said. 

"The King (Nawaz Sharif) has left us in great debt for years. We just want to minimise the losses," he added. 

The PTI leader said that the provincial government wanted to have earnings from every Orange Line station.

"As many as Rs120 billion will be annually spent on the Orange line project during the next five years. The Punjab government will have to spend Rs10 billion per month," the minister claimed.

Aleem Khan apologises to journalists on Chohan's uncanny remarks

The senior minister tendered his apology to the journalists for Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan's sordid remarks from the previous day. 

Chohan, at the death memorial of late Qazi Hussain Ahmed, had lambasted a journalist for asking him to respond to the Jamaat-e-Islami leader's statement that the PTI's promise of turning the country into Madinah state was baseless.

"Chohan is young, perhaps that's why he got angry. I don't like such tone and that's why I have apologised before as well. On behalf of the entire government I render an unconditional apology," Aleem said.