Usman Buzdar has received a litany of criticism and doubt over the course of his tenure as Chief Minister Punjab and while much of it was warranted, some of it stems from the perception that his lack of experience makes him inept to deliver, which is unfair. One commendable achievement of the Punjab government under the PTI is the road development in Lahore that has relieved the busy city somewhat of crippling traffic congestion. The Lal Shahbaz Qalandar underpass in the center of Lahore is one such example that has immensely helped the flow of traffic there. It is commendable that three similar projects are nearing completion in heavy traffic areas of the city as well.
Yesterday, an investment worth Rs60 billion by the Dhabi group to develop Mubarak Center, dubbed the ‘tallest building in Lahore’, was secured by Punjab government during the CM’s visit to Dubai. The foundation for a ‘Central Business District’ that will be constructed on the site of soon to be de-notified Walton airport has also been laid recently. Although many of the advantages of these projects are somewhat obvious, there are equally obvious questions and observations to be asked and made in light of such aggressive infrastructure development. The fact that this strategy to ramp up high visibility projects close to election season is a carbon copy of the PML-N is undeniable and therefore it would make it even more difficult for the PTI to maintain the profile of ‘the party of change’ than it already is.
The Punjab government should also be prepared to receive and deal with the same complaints and requests from its parliamentarians and their respective constituents that the PML-N did when it indulged in such hyper-development: why is Lahore the recipient of such luxuries being built and delivered on time using taxpayer money? The Punjab government will have to address some of these concerns at which point demands for funds will be made and doling out cash may be the only solution to retain electables. Where it plans to find that money is another debate altogether.
