Daily Times

Over the past few decades, Pakistan among listed as the developing economy has faced major problems on a broad range of fronts, varying from poverty to emissions, climate change and water pressure, among many other things. In size as well as distance, these relatively close problems need ‘major’ answers. To be accurate, the answers need to be supported by resources and the means to deliver them. This involve both fiscal resources as well as a minimum state capability threshold standard. For a long period of time, they must also be sustained.

Throughout the center, these problems have lingered and existed either unacknowledged by prior governments, or tersely tackled by poorly formulated half-measures. In certain cases, the successor government (the Karachi package or the creation of engineering universities with international cooperation envisioned during the term of President Musharraf are two prominent cases in point) abandoned the good work initiated by one government. As a consequence, the nation as a whole has endured.Hopefully, some of the much-needed but deferred projects from the past were either resumed by this government or some new ‘big ideas’ of their own were rolled out. A quick look at some of them will follow.

According to the NGO Germanwatch, Pakistan is regarded to be the fifth most affected country in the world in terms of the impact of climate change between 1998 and 2017

There are some serious actions taken by the Pakistan government to combat climate change. According to the NGO Germanwatch, Pakistan is regarded to be the fifth most affected country in the world in terms of the impact of climate change between 1998 and 2017. Around the same period, Pakistan has highest ranks of deforestation with lowest levels of land cover in the country. One of the steps to mitigate global warming, among a series of legislative approaches, is to introduce carbon sequestration projects. In 2015 (The Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Project), the KP government initiated a huge afforestation-cum-reforestation programme that aimed to regenerate 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) of forests across the province. The vision to initiate a national ’10 Billion Tree Tsunami’ programme has since been upgraded by the PTI government established at the centre in 2018. In contrast, as part of the Ravi Riverfront programme, it plans to proceed on an urban reforestation programme in Lahore. In parallel with the regeneration of national parks, the afforestation-cum-reforestation drive is intended not only to produce ‘carbon sinks’ to delay or reverse the impact of global warming, but also to provide local populations with employment opportunities through tourism and revenue generation projects.

The Ehsaasprogramme, which is a micro poverty alleviation and social safety net programme explicitly simulated on the New Century Rural Poverty Alleviation Plan of China for the period 2001-2010 (the successor programme to its original ‘8-7’ national poverty reduction strategy), is another government mega effort. Although the PPP government can be credited with initiating Pakistan’s largest cash transfer scheme in 2010 (the Benazir Income Support Programme) amid its spillages and major targeted challenges, its concentration on unconditional transfers remained essentially uni-dimensional. The Ehsaasprogramme aims to develop a robust, multi-sectoral poverty alleviation mechanism that includes unconditional cash transfers, education grants, household ration delivery, a conditional cash transfer programme for health and nutrition, the provision of start-up assets for micro-enterprises, and special services targeted at orphans and widows. Over the past year, the Ehsaas initiative has been used to deliver emergency assistance to vulnerable households affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Cash disbursements under the Ehsaas emergency relief programme total Rs179 billion, with an estimated 14.8 million beneficiaries, according to data from the Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Section.

In addition to this, the government has introduced homeless and food bank shelters. More significantly, a micro health care scheme (SehatSahulat) and telemedicine during the Covid-19 pandemic was introduced in which about 7.2 million families were enrolled. A leading cause for poor families to slip into poverty is health conditions.

The above-mentioned interventions provide a significant outlet, but may not be adequate on their own, to alleviate poverty and income inequality in the region. The history of China, though in many ways special and quasi, teaches some good information. A significant prerequisite, along with increases in agricultural production, is sustainable economic growth that is equitable. Institutional as well as structural reforms, along with a multi-sectoral approach, are needed to dramatically mitigate poverty levels in a controlled basis.

Moreover, in South Asia, Pakistan has two of the biggest mega cities, Karachi and Lahore. These cities experience obstacles ranging from mass water supply to proper waste management and a broken-down urban transportation infrastructure with fast and unplanned growth. The government has proposed two mega-projects, the Karachi Transformation Package and the Ravi Riverfront Urban Growth Initiative, to resolve the dwindling quality of life and economic vigor of the cities.

The Karachi Transformation Package is a town infrastructure initiative portfolio that has been on the table since the years of Musharraf, if not earlier in the case of such initiatives. The motivation and degree of seriousness to follow the same from the top leadership, however, has been lacking in the past. Although both mega projects provide tremendous potential for the two cities, it is necessary to reduce ‘policy capture’ by developers, considering their size, and to ensure transparent and successful execution by open bidding and participation by respectable foreign companies. A recurrent problem remains execution. The reopening of contracts with IPPs in the power sector, the building incentives package to kick-start the economy, its low-cost housing project and the inauguration of the first foreign-affiliated engineering university are also some of the other significant measures by the ruling government.

Unfortunately, some recurring problems, such as the reform of the FBR and reforms in the governance of state-owned enterprises, especially in the power sector, remain unanswered. Regional development plans have not been drawn up for Balochistan, South Punjab, rural Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK, although the 10-year development plan prepared under the pretense of the UNDP for ex-Fata remains largely untouched. Although a great deal of work has gone into changing the civil service, at this point its strength and success remain uncertain. In order to conclude, the ruling government has taken the major initiatives but still there are many lags to be filled and leap frogged. There is dire need of collective unanimous effort at national level to build Pakistan a dreamland and emerging superpower down the road as future belongs to those who believe in beauty of their dreams.

Special Advisor (Pakistan Institute of Management, Lahore operated under Federal Ministry of Industries and Production, Islamabad) and Foreign Research Associate (Centre of Excellence, China Pakistan Economic Corridor, Islamabad)