Lahore is no doubt the heart of Punjab but a heart in order to function as heart requires a body. And a body is always bigger than any of its parts. Vital and apparently less vital parts together constitute an organism. Remove a seemingly less important part from an organism and see what happens.

A body, to repeat the cliché, is not just an aggregate of all its parts. It is bigger than the sum total of its parts. Secret of having a healthy body lies in taking due care of its constituents, small and big. But such a simple fact is lost on all the biggies currently ensconced in the corridors of power in Punjab. That’s why there has been an expression of anger and resentment over the news that the funds worth Rs2bn earmarked for various development schemes in the south Punjab have been diverted to a road widening project in Lahore.

No official response has contradicted the news. No official tells the people who have had the guts to take such a patently unwise and callous decision. It’s alarming because south Punjab is underdeveloped as is the case with western and northwestern parts of the province and thus rightly suffers from a sense of economic deprivation articulated vociferously by its left-leaning middle class intelligentsia, wrapped in cultural terms.

Issue of development is a modern conundrum that seems to have befuddled the policymakers. The reason is that capitalism, regardless of its form, by its very nature denies the principle of equity in terms of resource distribution in public as well as private sector. Capitalist structure has exacerbated the situation created by historical phenomenon of unequal development that is witnessed universally due to a host of reasons, natural and man-made.

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Geography, natural resources or lack of resources, climate, history, politico-economic institutions and nature of relationship with other regions play crucial role in determining the kind of material development a particular area would have. When we look at south Punjab, we don’t find it lacking in resources. It is resource rich like the rest of plains of the Punjab. Fertile soil is responsible for lucrative farming. One single factor that distinguishes it from the rest of Punjab is prevalence of large landholdings which has resulted in the emergence of landlordism with the consequent rise of exploitative sociopolitical culture. Landlords, always an essential component of power structure, have not only exploited peasants and tenants but have also tried to arrest the pace of tangible development in the region with the intent of retaining their tight grip over the common folks.

The other significant factor for the woes of people in the south has been the attitude of successive regimes which, succumbing to the sweet charms of indigenous and transnational capital, have not tried to undo the imbalance between developed and underdeveloped regions by diverting funds to the regions lagging behind. They, on the contrary, have tended to create wealth and boost development in the areas already ahead which suits the regime as well as lobbies with vested interests. The regime in order to reap the political dividends flaunts something concrete in the metropolis as a measure of development and good governance while tycoons and business people talk of big bucks. And landlords are smugly comfortable with the crumbs thrown at them from high table of capital. As for the masses, the lazy lot should improve their work ethic!

The present regime in Punjab is a special case as it seems to be unduly caring for Lahore. There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving your city. A city, if it has to be a happening place, needs to be owned by the people who inhabit it and decide its affairs. A disowned city is destined to soon become colourful debris. But the present incumbent’s obsession with one city is a kind of topophilia gone haywire that becomes conspicuous by negating what needs care elsewhere in his area of jurisdiction. Lahore no doubt showcases Punjab but what about the body whose face it supposedly is. A face without body soon loses its glow. So please stop squandering extravagant sums of money on the city we all love. Such a step will be in the larger interests of Punjab which Lahore proudly represents. Don’t demean Lahore by forcing it to guzzle funds meant for the underprivileged areas. Monies allocated for the south Punjab and other less developed areas would be money well-spent. Give the funds back to the regions for which they were originally allocated.

Political wisdom demands that south Punjab be additionally given a special package with a view to alleviating poverty, creating jobs and ameliorating the suffering of the indigent. But the matter is too serious to be left to the discretion of an individual or a group of individuals whatever their status and stature. What is needed is a permanent mechanism to solve the ever-threatening monster of unequal development fraught with dangerous political implications. A mechanism, in fact, is already in place in the shape of local government which unfortunately looks like an emaciated body because it has deliberately been rendered powerless and hence ineffective. Political activists and conscientious intelligentsia with the help of the people must pressure the Punjab government to empower the local government financially and administratively. Demand should be simple: devolve power to the grass-roots level the way the previous federal government did through the National Finance Award which provided financial muscle to provincial governments. Devolution must go down to district level. Each district must get its funds for development based on a just formula. While evolving the formula at least two important factors be taken into account i.e. population and level of economic development. Such an arrangement of resource distribution must be solidly backed by statute law. Allocation of funds shouldn’t depend on the sweet will of some powerful individuals if we want the people to be stakeholders in ever evolving democratic process.