The demand(s) amount to a wish list presented to the Priorities Committee that has the task of deciding who gets a slice of pie and how big that slice is. This then shapes the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) via the Annual Plan Coordination Committee which then goes forward to the National Economic Council headed by the PM which has representation from all of the federating units. A lengthy and complex process unlikely to make a swift response to demands for Rs1.8 trillion.
For obvious reasons, the government is keen to complete as many projects as possible in the time available, but with many projects having a lead time of 12-22 years it is clear to even the least developmentally aware that targets are going to be missed, projects failing or simply standing idle for lack of funding. With a mere Rs700 billion available for core development, there are going to be a lot of disappointments. Development in the widest sense in Pakistan is hindered by serial incompetence and political expediency spanning decades. Sadly no improvement can be expected and Ms Altaf’s book will remain widely unread in the corridors of power.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2017.
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