Irrespective of which political party is at the helm of affairs, development and public welfare projects launched with tax payer’s money must continue even after a change in government. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, such projects have fallen prey to political biases and are discontinued by most governments, when they take over and billions of rupees of state funds are wasted, to the sole disadvantage of the citizens of Pakistan. Such immoral and unethical acts have become a norm in this country. It is time that the people of Pakistan must stand up and demand that such malpractices must stop.
It is unfortunate that every government, including the PTI is guilty of such malpractices. This cycle seems to have infected almost every regime, elected or dictatorial, that has ruled Pakistan. One such project was PKLI in Lahore which was built by PML-N, to cater for kidney and liver infections that have made life miserable for many in this country. Liver infections in Pakistan have been on the rise and so are kidney related infections.
Prominent Pakistani-origin doctors, surgeons and technicians working abroad had been motivated to volunteer their services for PKLI, and return back and help millions of poor, suffering from kidney and liver-related diseases. These doctors returned back often getting less than one third the salaries they were getting abroad. Philanthropists donated crores to procure the latest state of art medical equipment which were installed at PKLI, or were in the process of being shipped. It is not just PKLI, but the same was the fate of the Benazir Income Support Program.
The PTI has also launched the Health-Card scheme which must be retained, with certain modifications making it accessible only to the most deprived sections of society as is the practice adopted by Social Security Systems in the developed world.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
LAHORE
