LAHORE, Nov 21: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has decided to convert the MM Alam Road ground into a cricket ground.

The previous government of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had decided to develop an IMAX theatre at the venue.

Chairing a meeting here on Wednesday, Shahbaz directed establishment of a cricket ground at the place specified for the Punjab Entertainment Company and underneath it a double-storey basement parking.

Seeking expeditious construction of the cricket ground, he also directed arrangements for bringing from abroad all approved instruments for the IMAX project.

He alleged that a huge fraud to the tune of hundreds of millions of rupees was committed during the previous era by making the entertainment company for which neither any letter of credit was opened for the import of machinery for the project nor any machinery arrived in the country.

He announced a legal action against all persons involved in that fraud.

The chief minister said the national exchequer suffered a loss to the tune of billions of rupees during the rule of former dictator.

Cronies of the dictator, who raised the slogan of “Pakistan First”, gobbled up mercilessly hard-earned money of the people and ‘robberies’ of billions of rupees were committed in Punjab Bank and Lahore-Kasur Road project, he added.

He claimed that his government promoted transparency and good governance by doing away with the ‘culture of loot and plunder’ as taxpayers’ money “is now being spent on public welfare projects.”

He warned that those who looted the national exchequer through corruption during the previous rule in Punjab would have to pay for their misdeeds.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, MPAs Dr Saeed Elahi, Hafiz Nauman, the chief secretary, chairman of planning & development and authorities concerned attended the meeting.