PM Abbasi caught between a rock and a hard place

Missed deadlines of key development projects posing challenge to PM

ISLAMABAD: Missed deadlines of key infrastructure and other development projects seem to have posed a challenge to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi while the federal government is making desperate efforts to ensure completion of already delayed projects ahead of the next general elections.

On August 14, the prime minister was scheduled to inaugurate three key projects – New Islamabad International Airport (NIIA), the Metro link connecting the federal capital to NIIA in Fateh Jhang and the Hazara Motorway.

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However, all the three projects have seen a delay and are not likely to be completed before the end of this year.

The three projects and several other ventures were prioritised in the PML-N’s 22-month development plan that was launched on July 29 last year.

However, slack progress on key projects has created problems for Premier Abbasi who is holding marathon meetings with his team members to meet the related timelines, The Express Tribune has learnt.

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After assuming office on August 1, Abbasi publicly reiterated to focus on timely completion of the development projects that were launched by his predecessor Nawaz Sharif.

Well-placed sources in the PML-N said the party leadership was expecting that the launch of three key projects on August 14 would give the much-needed breakthrough to the political party and federal government in the wake of N-League’s falling political graph after Sharif was handed disqualification by the Supreme Court in Panamagate case.

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By the given deadline (August 14), development work on all three projects – NNIA, Metro link from Islamabad to NIIA and Hazara Motorway – was pending that prompted the government authorities to revise the deadline, sources said.

A government official, requesting anonymity, however insisted that there was no delay in the completion of development projects and the projects would be completed “exactly when they need to be” – a few months ahead of general elections that would allow the federal government to cash in on the polls.

The three projects, he said, were not estimated to be completed by August 14 deadline.

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“The government bosses knew it and so did the officials concerned. Despite this, the August 14 deadline was fixed to inaugurate the three major projects out of politically-motivated reasons,” the insider said.

He said the deposed prime minister and his cabinet members were expecting that the Panamagate proceedings would linger beyond August 14 and by inaugurating prolific projects at the time when the case proceedings were on, the government intended to “influence the institutions concerned by giving the message that the PML-N was doing a lot for this country and any adverse decision in the Panamagate case would simply derail the pace of progress and development”.

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Apart from the three projects, a host of other projects was prioritised in the 22-month development plan. They included the Neelum-Jehlum Hydroelectric project, Dasu Hydropower project, Bunji Hydropower project and the long-term Diamer-Bhasha Hydropower project.

Construction of airports in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan was also to be undertaken, in addition to expediting work on NIIA. The Metro link from Islamabad to NIIA was not part of the original development plan and it was later included in the development plan and prioritised.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where the PML-N struggles to counter the PTI, apart from the Hazara Motorway – connecting Islamabad to Abbottabad via Havelian – and the Abbottabad-Mansehra Motorway were prioritised. In addition, repair of Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway was also put on priority.

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In Balochistan, three road networks – Bela-Awaran Highway, Basima-Khuzdar Highway and Quetta-Khuzdar Highway – were prioritised. Another mega project, the Gwadar-Hoshab Motorway via Turbat, was to be made operational.

In Sindh, the Ratodero-Gwadar Motorway that connects Sindh to Balochistan, the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, the Kakkar-Karachi Motorway and the Lahore-Karachi Motorway (connecting Punjab to Sindh) were listed on priority.

In Punjab, the PML-N’s political bastion, DG Khan-Kakkar Motorway, Lahore-Karachi Motorway, Multan-Faisalabad Motorway, Multan-DG Khan Motorway and a host of inter-city and intra-city projects were prioritised.

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Since 2007, the NIIA completion is facing delays on one pretext or another. Its initial estimated cost was Rs32 billion which has reportedly exceeded beyond Rs87 billion now.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, PM’s Adviser Amir Muqam admitted that some key projects prioritised in the development plan could not be completed within the stipulated time.

The deadlines were revised to ensure the completion of projects with the fulfilment of related requirements.

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“Instead of hastily completing the projects and compromising on standards, it’s better to wait a bit in order to ensure that all the requirements are fulfilled,” he said without commenting on the additional cost that could amount to billions in case of delays in mega projects.

“Such things happen in similar situations.”