LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday issued a white paper on “fraud” development schemes of the Nawaz government: from debt retirement to Sasti Roti, yellow cab, Aashiana scheme and metro bus.

The PTI parliamentary party, led by Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, in its white paper stated that the Punjab government’s development projects were turning out to be mega corruption and irregularity cases. It further stated that the rulers misused public money in Sasti Roti scheme, metro bus and Orange Line train.

The opposition leader said PML-N workers and supporters were highlighting the government’s achievements to hide its massive failures on all fronts – development schemes and governance. He claimed that ruling party’s workers continued getting subsidised flour many years after the Sasti Roti scheme had flopped. He also alleged that corruption was rampant in the laptop scheme and the audit report stated the scheme had caused Rs70 million loss to the treasury. He claimed the Rawalpindi Metro Bus project had been declared the world’s most expensive mass transit project.

He also said the government’s loan schemes had failed. The Youth Helmet Scheme was halted by the government itself just after three months.

In the energy sector, he claimed, the Nandipur power project was started at Rs23 billion and its cost had reached Rs120 billion and now it was being handed over to the private sector. The Qadirpur, Chicho ki Malian, Gadani and Quaid-i-Azam power projects had also flopped, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2017