UET conference: ‘Political stability must for economic growth’

Two-day conference on town planning and urban <br /> management held.

LAHORE: Economic prosperity can only be achieved through political stability, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal said on Monday.

He was addressing a two-day international conference on town planning and urban management at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) on Monday.

“Cities are a signature of success and drivers of growth. We need to develop the infrastructure of cities as well as their culture and values,” he said.

Ahsan criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for causing economic losses to the country with its sit-in and rallies. “People have given their mandate to leading political parties of the country. If the PTI wants to prove its mettle, it should focus on the province where it is in power. What revolution has the PTI brought in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?” he said.

He said that the PTI was following the Punjab government’s example in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by introducing laptop and metro bus schemes. “The PTI can play a positive role as an opposition party and hold the government accountable. They should focus on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

In his welcome address, UET Faculty of Architecture and Planning Dean Prof Dr Ghulam Abbas Anjum said that town planning was important in the country where urbanisation was increasing.

Prof Cliff Hague from the Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, UK, spoke about the importance of urban governance. He said urban development had a number of pre-requisites. He shared his experience about the Pakistan of 1994 when he completed a project in Faisalabad for development of the city’s sanitation infrastructure.

Lahore Urban Unit CEO Dr Nasir Javed highlighted the challenges faced by the urban areas of the country, such as infrastructure, development and urbanisation.

Around 300 national and international participants attended the event, including eminent town planners, architects, engineers, researchers, urban developers, policy-makers and students.

Thirteen speakers presented their papers on urban development during the two technical sessions.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2014.