ISLAMABAD, May 25: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani inaugurated six development projects in the federal capital this week but only half of them were first-time inaugurations. For the other three it was repeat performance.

Don’t be surprised, however. Just remember it is election year and the heat is on.

A Diagnostic Centre and ground-breaking ceremony for Margallah Avenue and 11th Avenue projects listed in the invitation card for May 23 inaugurations were the genuine ones. Others had seen opening ceremonies long before.

In fact the Arts and Crafts Village in the list had been inaugurated way back in 2005, and the Development of F-9 Park in 2010 by the then chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the expansion of the Kashmir Highway has been going on since June 2011.

This is not for the first time that the prime minister has re-inaugurated old projects.

On June 11, 2011, the prime minister opened the first public sector medical college for Islamabad.

Likewise a dormant, Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Network Unit was inaugurated by the prime minister on March 8, 2010.

The two projects were again inaugurated by Prime Minister Gilani on February 28 this year at the National Institute of Health, Chak Shehzad.

However, the CDA chairman, Farkhand Iqbal, in his rebuttal insisted: “Your information is wrong as the previous inaugurations were ground breaking ceremonies of the projects.”

Mr Iqbal insisted that Arts & Crafts Village was not inaugurated at any stage in the past.

When his attention was drawn towards a number of functions and inaugurations by the former chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, he said: “I don’t think the projects were opened at that time as Arts & Crafts Village was completed during my tenure.

Regarding the F-9 Capital Park he claimed: “The project has recently been completed.”

He claimed that a number of projects were completed under his tenure.