RAWALPINDI: Citizens from the NA-56 constituency would never have guessed that voting for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Imran Khan would push the provincial government to give them more funds than other constituencies of the garrison city.

NA-56, which includes Satellite Town, Sadiqabad and Shamsabad areas, is where the PTI chairman defeated former PML-N MNA Hanif Abassi in the 2013 general elections.

A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) insider insisted that the government is purposely discriminating against NA-56’s neighbouring constituency NA-55 in order to win back the former.

Read: Wall-chalking in NA-56 wants to know where Imran Khan is?

He said that during its last tenure in government, the PML-N funded Rs1.5 billion worth of development projects for NA-55 while the development projects funded in NA-56 were worth Rs3.45 billion.

“This year too, the provincial government provided Rs4 billion for NA-56. But for NA-55 which includes Raja Bazaar and other city areas, the provincial government asked Rawal Town Municipal Administration to launch development schemes worth Rs105 million,” he said.  

In NA-56, the provincial government launched a project to improve parks and playgrounds to the tune of Rs1 billion, a water supply project to the tune of Rs128 million and set up a technical institute on Farooq-i-Azam Road at Rs76 million. An amount of Rs2.75 billion was given to set up Rawalpindi Institute of Urology.

“This is all a part of the ruling party’s strategy to win the constituency in the next local government or general elections as this is where the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan was elected MNA,” said a local party leader.

The provincial government has doubled development funds for NA-56

He said that this unequal distribution of development funds among the city’s constituencies is creating unrest among the local leaders of PML-N.

“The divisions within the party are becoming more apparent,” he said.

A senior official at the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) told Dawn that as per the annual development plan, the provincial government allocated most funds to NA-56.

He said Hanif Abbasi is close to the prime minister and his brother which is why he managed to get more funds from the Punjab government for his constituency.

The government has released no funds for NA-55 where Sheikh Rashid Ahmed of Awami Muslim League (AML) defeated Malik Shakil Awan of PML-N in the 2013 general elections.

A local party leader said that in the 2013 elections, PML-N got 67,000 votes in NA-56 and 78,000 votes in NA-56.

However, the party is still diverting more funds to NA-56.

Former MNA Malik Shakil Awan admitted that the provincial government did not release funds for the development of the inner city areas including Raja Bazaar.

He said that in the fiscal year 2012-13, the provincial government allocated Rs13 million for the improvement of playgrounds in Government Gordon College and Government Christian Higher Secondary School, Trunk Bazaar commonly known Mission High School.

However, he said that the funds had not yet been released. He said that when compared to NA-56, it’s obvious that the provincial government is neglecting NA-55.

“The residents of NA-55 are being neglected by the provincial government which has instead improved the playgrounds in NA-56 instead,” he said.

Former MNA Hanif Abbasi told Dawn that the provincial government had launched development projects in NA-56 to fulfill its duty for the betterment of residents. It is not discriminating, he added.

He said other residents and their representatives should communicate their issues to the Punjab government so that development projects are also launched in their respective areas.

He added that the Punjab government had launched the Metro Bus Project which would benefit all residents of the city and more projects will be launched in the future.

Published in Dawn January 22nd , 2015

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