Another day, and another controversy in Punjab. This time, the Rawalpindi Ring Road (RRR) scam has reared its ugly head to throw Islamabad into a tizzy. While the PM office has already waged the call for a full-fledged inquiry, it cannot be overlooked that the suggestive fact-finding reports go as high as to touch CM Buzdar and his financial advisor, Dr Salman Shah. The plot further thickened when the perpetually hot-to-trot PML(N) decided to rope in the bigwigs like Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Zulfi Bukhari into the smear campaign. There is now a heated campaign against their removal for the alleged corruption to the tune of Rs 2.5 billion. Meanwhile, Lahori Lions are busy throwing dirt on the ruling PTI for “making bureaucratic scapegoats,” hinting at six mid-career shufflings by Punjab’s Chief Secretary. Ah! Politics in this lush province never fails to be amusing! While the allegations are as juicy as they could get, a close peak within lays them bare for just what they are: an exaggerated tittle-tattle. There has been no reported evidence of any landholdings owned by Mr Bukhari in the vicinity of the ring road’s route. Unfortunately, it has become a norm for the opposition to raise a ruckus whenever the remotest of relatives of anyone in the skipper’s inner circle are mired in any controversy. The spark plug of Sanjgani land may make colourful headlines, but, in reality, the special assistant does not enjoy a cordial relationship with its holders (senior bureaucrat, Dr Tauqir Shah and co.). There is simply no other connection. Thus, the enquiry should bring all facts and real names into open; not fall prey to speculations. Some rumour mills in Islamabad are busy claiming PM’s advisor Shahzad Akbar as the architect of the controversial report. Others are actively churning insinuations about the upset highs and the mighties (in the real estate sector) busy trying to take the project down. Yet, only time can ascertain the veracity of such innuendos. It was heartening to see the Punjab administration actively pursue the said investigation. Hopefully, a thorough report by the relevant authorities will help quash doubts over the sanctity of the national kitty. Rs 2.5 billion is not a chicken feed of pennies! Preferring a half-baked public-private partnership over an upfront loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has to be the Buzdar administration’s biggest blunder. The opposition is on the button in asking Islamabad about the scam. Why was a project, said to kickstart Rs 1 trillion economic activity, shoved into cold storage? No one–and we repeat, no one–can be allowed the liberties to carry out personal agendas at the expense of national development. Whether it was the brigade of private housing societies benefitting through the project or the public officers involved in the realignment, all guilty should be taken to hook! Nothing less could restore confidence in PTI’s much-touted accountability campaign. Any misstep and the RRR would fall in the trenches already housing the mega-development plans of the nineties. And that’s not a very promising thought! *