PML-N, PPP argue over funds for Lahore-Bahawalnagar expressway in NA

A confrontation between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was narrowly averted during a session of the National Assembly on Tuesday after a dispute arose over the proposed transfer of funds for the Lahore-Bahawalnagar expressway.

The issue arose when PPP member Syed Naveed Qamar filed a call-out notice over the alleged diversion of funds from the Sukkur-Hyderabad Expressway project to the Lahore-Bahawalnagar Expressway. 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 Rs 465 billion from the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for the Bahawalpur Expressway, but there was no definitive justification for such a claim. He added that no cross-plan allocations were being provided for the project.

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Qamar, however, said the issue was not simply the diversion of PSDP funds but whether the project had been federalized. He argued that the highway clearly belonged to a single province and ran from one point to another. He further stated that the conditionalities of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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 in the House contradicted the facts. He noted that the PC-1 of the project, valued at Rs 465 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 violation of the national fiscal compact, according to which no provincial project can be included in the PSDP unless the province accepts a 50 per cent financing plan. It was recommended for submission to ECNEC even though it cannot be funded by the federal government,” he said.

Farooqi called it a serious violation and warned that if Punjab projects were funded unilaterally, other provinces (Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) would do the same, creating inequality across the country. He claimed that the cost of the project had increased by 73 per cent, adding that despite the escalation, the design had not yet been finalised. “They don’t have a financing plan, that’s why they are trying to include it in the PSDP,” he added.

In response, Subhani confirmed that the CDWP had reviewed the project, but clarified that only a portion of it (18.5 kilometers) was under PSDP funding.

He said the relevant forum had approved the PSDP schemes and the CDWP had recommended the presentation of the project 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 would not provide additional funding for the project.

On the other hand, PPP lawmaker Agha Rafiullah criticized the government’s conduct, saying: “The PPP perfectly understands the government’s modus operandi; it says one thing but does another. The recent ordinance, issued without the president’s signature and then withdrawn, is a good example.”

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He added that if the government really wanted to link Hyderabad-Sukkur and the rest of Sindh to the Pakistan Economic Corridor, it should make a clear political statement. While expressing confidence in the Prime Minister’s commitments, he warned that effective implementation was not possible with an incapable team.

The session was chaired by President Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who tried to calm the situation by ordering Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan to submit detailed reports on the matter. He subsequently referred the matter to the Standing Committee on Planning of the National Assembly for further consideration.

PPP member Nabeel Gabol also criticized the government, alleging that key ministers were absent during important discussions. Additionally, he raised public complaints in Karachi over K-Electric’s performance, saying residents continued to face difficulties.

Three private members’ bills were tabled during the session, while reports of various standing committees related to different ministries were also tabled. The National Assembly was suspended until 11 a.m. on January 16.