Set in 14 acres of land on the edge of Lahore, the bungalow will have everything an aspiring Pakistani leader needs: a helipad, bombproof walls and vast lawns that can accommodate 10,000 people for giant election rallies.
Opponents have seized on its cost, rumoured to be 5billion rupees (£32m), saying it represents the worst excesses of the country’s political elite.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who at 24 is still too young to stand in parliamentary elections expected in May, is due to visit the site of the unfinished house on Saturday with his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, for an inauguration ceremony.
It has been lampooned variously as a retirement home for Mr Zardari or the ultimate bachelor pad for his son, equipped with swimming pools and fitted out by international designers.
Imran Khan, the former cricketer who has put tackling corruption at the heart of his campaign to become prime minister, said the lavish mansion typified the old-style politics that he was trying to end.
“It shows they have complete contempt for the people of Pakistan,” he said. “They don’t care what anyone thinks even with elections soon. » | Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Friday, February 08, 2013
