In case of privatisation in Pakistan, we would just be passing on that control and monopoly to private hands.
LAHORE: Whether it is the government’s responsibility to run businesses or not can be debated upon; however, I think the current argument for privatisation is based on the fact that if a government runs businesses, no one in the country can match it because the government would have absolute monopoly and control.
The point to be noted here is that in case of privatisation in Pakistan, we would just be passing on that control and monopoly to private hands as we do not have regulators that can work independently. In a country like Pakistan, where we have a large population, mostly living under the poverty line, the government must play a greater role in helping the people.
Z Lodhi
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2014.
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