Mayor of Istanbul Dr Kadir Topbas Visit to Lahore, Pakistan

[Omar1984]

Great news. That's provincial autonomy for you. Each province given the right to conduct and recieve international visits without the approval of the federal govt. One of the few good things done by PPP, they deserve full credit.

Credit should be given to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, who wanted Pakistan's provinces to be autonomous.

 

[RiazHaq]

I think the best solution for transporting large numbers of city people quickly is by trains.

Unfortunately, the incompetent and corrupt public sector in Pakistan can not be trusted given the terrible experience of Karachi circular rail system which has been shut down rather than expanded and made more efficient.

 

[Omar1984]

Pak-Turk friendship: Istanbul mayor gives 100 buses for Lahore

LAHORE: Mayor of Istanbul Kadir Topbas announced a gift of 100 buses and inaugurated the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on Ferozepur Road on Monday, the second and final day of his visit to the provincial metropolis.

Topbas also laid the foundation stone for the girls campus of Pak-Turk International Schools and Colleges on Raiwind Road; inaugurated a monument in his name near Valencia Town on Raiwind Road; visited Mazar-i-Iqbal and Badshahi Masjid; and was conferred an honorary doctorate at Government College University.

After inaugurating the BRT, the visiting mayor drove a bus on the special bus-only lane built down the middle of Ferozepur Road from the Naseerabad bus station to Gulab Devi Hospital. He was accompanied by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, as he was a day earlier when driving a cleaning truck after inaugurating a new waste management system, as well as members of his delegation.

Speaking at the inauguration, Sharif said that the first phase of the bus project from Kahna to Kalma Chowk would be completed in April while the second phase for another 30 kilometres of bus corridor would be finished in December.

He said that the new bus service would give Lahore public transport of an international standard. He said that the project would be particularly useful to the disabled, senior citizens and women. He said that highly trained staff would operate the bus service and ticketing would be completely automated. He thanked Turkey for assisting the Punjab government with the solid waste management and bus projects.

At an earlier luncheon hosted by the chief minister, Topbas announced a gift of 100 buses for Lahore and pledged Turkish help to the Punjab government in any sector. The chief minister thanked the mayor for the buses and called Turkey a role model for Pakistan.

At the school foundation stone ceremony, the chairman of Pak-Turk International Schools and Colleges said that the new girls campus would have the capacity for 900 students. He said that the foundation was educating more than 5,000 children in 18 schools in Pakistan. He thanked the chief minister for providing land for the campus.

Topbas also inaugurated the renamed Kadir Topbas Chowk on Raiwind Road near Valencia Town, where a 40-feet tall replica of Istanbul’s famous Blue Mosque is being built. The monument is being renamed after the mayor in view of his active role in promoting Pak-Turk ties.

Earlier, the mayor and his wife Ozleyis Topbas and their entourage visited historical sites in Lahore. They laid a wreath at the tomb of Allama Iqbal and a Rangers contingent presented them a guard of honour. They also visited the Badshahi Masjid.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13th, 2012

Pak-Turk friendship: Istanbul mayor gives 100 buses for Lahore – The Express Tribune

 

[Omar1984]

 

[ice_man]

when will other MAJOR cities let alone rurual cities get such facilities!

how about peshawar,quetta & karachi???

 

[Fasih Khan]

Karachi is even more developed then Lahore. Pershawar and Queta are Developed too but It depends If their Rulers want to do something good for their cities. Lahore has got millions of Issues of it's own, these were just couple of good steps taken by current Punjab Gov, that too near the Election year. Pakistan has seen real progress in Musharraf Era, which is a dream like Now, for the Patriot Pakistanis.

 

[haviZsultan]

This is great news. Turkey and Pakistan have an important relationship and must work together to improve the standard of living in both respective nations

 

[Zulkarneyn]

In the coming years i am pretty sure Turkey and Pakistan will knit closer ties. This is only the beginning.

 

[pig in mig]

i wish mayor of kabul comes to mumbai...it would be a proud day for me

 

[Jango]

Not CNG buses for god sake.

Rehman Malik was also present, nice to see some federal presence as well.

 

[pig in mig]

I think Pakistani politicans are more into "number benaing" game.......buttering foreigner visitors and building family ties...so that when time comes for exile...they find a good place to spend all the money they stole from their people.

 

[Omar1984]

 

[pakistanitarzan]

I'm not a fan of Nawaz Sharif, but his brother Shahbaz is doing an excellent job. The younger brother seems to be the more intelligent one. We should give him a chance. Nawaz should retire. Maybe Shahbaz is the answer for PML-N and Pakistan.







The more population a city has the harder it is to keep it clean. Karachi and Mumbai are examples, but hopefully this project will make Lahore look less like a South Asian city and more like a European city like Islamabad.

Dude, if it was someone else who said this then i would have denied it with no doubt but Omar bahi ap keh rahe hu then it means that Shahbaz Sharif must have some qualities lol

 

[SHAMK9]

shahbaz sharif is the least corrupted of the shareef brothers, he gets projects completed and good projects indeed, give him some credit for that

 

[VelocuR]

I don't want to see bus developments, we have enough bus in Pakistan. Basically it would be grateful if Pakistan and Turkey work together to develop subway, trainway or high speedy way. Pakistan none.

Fast-Train Network in the Works for Turkey : TreeHugger