PML-N, PPP spar over Lahore–Bahawalnagar motorway funds in NA
Photo: NAofPakistan/ X
A confrontation between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was narrowly averted during a National Assembly session on Tuesday after a dispute emerged over the proposed transfer of funds for the Lahore–Bahawalnagar motorway.
The issue surfaced when PPP member Syed Naveed Qamar submitted a calling-attention notice regarding the alleged diversion of funds from the Sukkur–Hyderabad motorway project to the Lahore–Bahawalnagar motorway. PPP lawmakers accused the PML-N-led government of reallocating development funds for political purposes.
Responding to the allegations, Minister of State for Planning Armaghan Subhani rejected the claims. He said Qamar had raised a question regarding the transfer of Rs465 billion from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the Bahawalpur motorway, but there was no definitive justification for such an assertion. He added that no inter-scheme allocations were being provided for the project.
Read: NA seeks probe into offloading of passengers at airports
Qamar, however, said the issue was not merely about the diversion of PSDP funds but whether the project had been federalised. He argued that the motorway clearly fell within a single province, running from one point to another. He further claimed that International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionalities were being ignored for political reasons. “I don’t think this is the best way to handle these projects,” he said.
PPP leader Sharmila Farooqi said commitments made on the floor of the House contradicted the facts. She noted that the project’s PC-1, valued at Rs465 billion, had already been submitted to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP).
“This is a completely provincial project, and including it in the PSDP is a breach of the national fiscal pact, where no provincial project can be included in the PSDP unless the province agrees to a 50 per cent financing plan. It was recommended for submission to ECNEC even though it cannot be funded by the federal government,” she said.
During the NA Session, MNAs Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr. Sharmila Sahiba Faruqui Hashaam, Mr. Abdul Qader Patel, Syed Rafiullah & Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur invited the attention of the Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives to a matter of urgent public importance… pic.twitter.com/YBiUp3O53P
Calling it a serious violation, Farooqi warned that if Punjab’s projects were funded unilaterally, other provinces — Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa — would follow suit, creating inequity across the country. She claimed the project’s cost had increased by 73 per cent, adding that despite the escalation, the design had yet to be finalised. “They don’t have a financing plan, which is why they are trying to include it in the PSDP,” she added.
In response, Subhani confirmed that the CDWP had reviewed the project but clarified that only a portion of it — 18.5 kilometres — fell under PSDP funding.
He said the relevant forum had approved the PSDP schemes and that the CDWP had recommended the project for submission to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), while the remaining funding would be managed by the province. He stressed that the federal government was providing no additional funding for the project.
Separately, PPP lawmaker Agha Rafiullah criticised the government’s conduct, saying, “The PPP fully understands the government’s modus operandi; it says one thing but does another. The recent ordinance, issued without the president’s signature and later withdrawn, is a case in point.”
Also Read: Islamabad ‘greener than before’, Talal Chaudhry defends tree cutting
He added that if the government was serious about linking Hyderabad–Sukkur and the rest of Sindh to Pakistan’s economic corridor, it should make a clear policy statement. While expressing confidence in the prime minister’s commitments, he cautioned that effective implementation was not possible with an incapable team.
The session was presided over by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who sought to defuse the situation by directing Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan to submit detailed reports on the matter. He later referred the issue to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning for further examination.
PPP member Nabeel Gabol also criticised the government, alleging that key ministers were absent during important discussions. He further raised public grievances in Karachi over the performance of K-Electric, saying residents continued to face hardships.
During the session, three private members’ bills were introduced, while reports from several standing committees related to different ministries were also presented. The National Assembly was adjourned until 11am on January 16.