Instead of addressing real issues, government is busy building up, maintaining glossy projects like the Metro Bus.
JHANG: Nations perish in the absence of vision. The vision of a country is the brainchild of its leadership. It is mostly the leadership that writes the future of a country. And only a far-sighted leadership can put the country on the path of progress and prosperity. When we talk about the reputed leaders, basically we talk about and admire their visions and thoughts. For indeed, these leaders were nothing but their visions.
If countries are developed, that is only because of their far-sighted and competent leaders. Unfortunately, in Pakistan there is a grave shortage of visionary leadership. We have always had puppet governments. Here, the government comes to spend five years to make money.
In this context, I wish to point out that the Metro Bus service for the people of Pakistan is a luxury, not a necessity. For this poor, illiterate, war-trodden and economic-hit nation, the priority is not a bus service but food, shelter, clothing, education, security, etc. Pakistan is in dire need of building and maintaining educational institutions, industries, agricultural revolution, technical colleges, art and crafts centres. Here, schools are without buildings, walls, students or books. Here, water and energy crises have eroded the economy. Here, terrorism has taken the lives of countless Pakistanis, eaten away on foreign investments and peace. Here, poverty has snatched square meals, people are forced either to drink contaminated water or no water, children are dying of hunger and thirst, suffering from dengue, polio, hepatitis and malaria and unemployment has made the people criminals.
But instead of addressing real issues, the government is busy building up and maintaining glossy projects like that of the Metro Bus service in Lahore. The government should not waste funds on useless projects but set priorities to solve national issues keeping in view a thorough cost-benefit analysis and public demands.
Zulqarnain Sewag
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2014.
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