A poverty of planners

Six out of eight senior positions in the PC are vacant and the commission is dead in the water


Editorial September 29, 2017

The Planning Commission (PC) is understaffed and overstretched and performing well below par. None of this is good news as the PC has expanded its role in the last two years as a result of Vision 2025 and the advent of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Neither of these has a full-time project director. The Planning Commission ought to be a thrumming hub of activity but instead it stumbles along for want of that most essential of elements — human resources. This was acknowledged by the planning and development secretary, who said that the PC only had a single full-time project director instead of the 33 it actually needed. In theory every project valued at over Rs500 million ought to have an individual project director. With at least 32 posts unfilled responsibility for monitoring trickles down to section chiefs or their deputies on what amounts to a ‘looked-after’ basis and is taken on in addition to their existing workloads.

This parlous state of affairs did not happen overnight and is symptomatic of the steady decay in the civil service at a broader level. There is an absence of leadership for one thing, and subordinates are unable to ‘act up’ effectively, constrained by their own job descriptions and lack of seniority. They know that the vacant post above them may one day be recruited to, and see little point in over-exerting themselves only to have their efforts wiped away by a new incumbent.

Six out of eight senior positions in the PC are vacant and the commission is dead in the water, stagnating. There are some posts being recruited to but the process is slow. The prime minister appears to be taking an interest as well but as ever there is no quick fix, no plug and play. It is deficiencies such as this that are at the heart of the failure-to-thrive being experienced across much of the development sector. A bitter price is being paid for years of neglectful and inept governance.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2017.

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COMMENTS (1)

Feroz | 7 years ago | Reply No problem -- the military is well staffed so country fully protected.
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