Once upon a time, a beaming businessman-turned-politician had inaugurated an ambitious motorway project in a grand ceremony and prophesied that this “living symbol of passion…will prove to be a milestone for Pakistan’s development and propserity.”
Over a quarter-century later, the jury is still out on whether the splashy mega project achieved anything worthwhile for the economy other than offering a small portion of the population a wonderfully smooth ride. But while the merits of an efficient transportation system cannot be ignored, there remains a considerable difference between investing in projects believed to connect people and simply making a grand spectacle of an embarras de richesse.
In a stark contravention to a general feeling of anxiety over our fast-dwindling resources, as we dash to cross the default line, Lahore Development Authority refuses to tighten the drawstrings. Its recent dabbling in the reconstruction of roads that were built only a year ago on top of floating a number of tenders has been attracting a lot of attention on social media; leaving many to question its so-called financial crunch. The entire scheme reeks of vested interests, which has also been noticed by the director-general.
As he pledges to constitute an inquiry committee and take strict action against whosoever is involved, the irony of dismantling perfectly fine roads in a bid to establish a parking lot of hush-hush money cannot be swept under the rug. At a time when international lenders are busy giving us a credible blueprint to steer out of the abyss, the lack of interest in putting our own house in order speaks volumes about our skewed priorities: most are ready to inflict lethal injuries on the treasury and, in turn, the mothership for the smallest of personal gains.
This naked selfishness, however, does not stop them from incessantly complaining; throwing the baby out with the bath water and making a dash for the immigration line whenever a chance arises. We continue to remind politicians that accountability begins at home but isn’t it high time we start applying the high standards to our own actions? Every penny saved by fooling the country’s tax net or treasury is tainted with corruption. Let that sink in! *