Sharif family-branded projects dot uplift plan

LAHORE:

Several major development projects carrying the names of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and members of the Sharif family have secured a prominent place in Punjab's Annual Development Programme (ADP) for fiscal year 2026-27, despite a substantial reduction in the province's overall development budget.

The Punjab government has proposed an ADP worth Rs752 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, down from Rs1.24 trillion in FY2025-26. Nevertheless, some of the largest and most high-profile schemes in the programme are linked to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former first lady Kulsoom Nawaz and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

The most expensive among them is the proposed Nawaz Sharif Medical District in Lahore, a flagship healthcare project estimated to cost Rs169 billion. The scheme has been included among the government's major health initiatives, with Rs2 billion earmarked for the next fiscal year.

The health sector also includes the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research in Lahore, carrying an estimated cost of Rs20 billion. Another major healthcare scheme, the Kulsoom Nawaz Cancer Hospital in Dera Ghazi Khan, is projected to cost Rs15.2 billion and has been allocated Rs800 million for FY2026-27.

In higher education, the government has proposed the establishment of Mian Nawaz Sharif Engineering and Technology University in Kasur.