Mushtaq Raza
Pind Dadan Khan: The Chak Nizam Bridge has become a distant dream for the people of three districts. Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Shehbaz Sharif, announced the construction of Chak Nizam Bridge during a public gathering in Mandi Bahauddin when he was the Chief Minister. The project was estimated to cost 1.18 billion rupees.
Prior to this, four prime ministers—Mian Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, Yousaf Raza Gillani, and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf—also made similar promises, but none were fulfilled. Later, then-President Asif Zardari announced the bridge in a public gathering in Mandi Bahauddin, yet no action was taken. General Pervez Musharraf laid the foundation stone for the bridge twice. On one occasion, he announced at Dandot Cement Factory that a colony would be built for the employees, but neither the colony was built nor the Chak Nizam Bridge materialized.
In a ceremony at the ground of Al-Biruni College, a plaque in the name of General Musharraf was installed, but the public later removed it. For the people of three districts—Pind Dadan Khan, Bhera, and Mandi Bahauddin—this bridge remains the only viable solution for connectivity. Yet, the dream of Chak Nizam Bridge has once again faded into oblivion.
Today's E-Paper