The federal government’s new plan under which CNG station will be closed for three days in a weak in Punjab and two days in Sindh is going to have negative effects on the economy of the country. The explanation given by the government for this load-shedding of gas is that the country has been unable to find new gas reservoirs to meet rising demand, ignoring the fact that Pakistan-Iran Gas Project has been waiting its implementation for the last 10 years.
Actually, Pakistan is facing this crisis due to the mismanagement and lack of vision by the military and civilian rulers.
The government is likely to increase the prices of gas to the level of gasoline prices. This shows that our permanent civil bureaucracy has no vision and lacks ability for long term planning. They are the main culprit for our economic disaster. They only think about short term benefits. What role the Planning Commission of Pakistan is playing is a mystery for all.
Why the government is wasting tax-payers’ money on providing subsidy on electricity? Such an approach is crippling the country’s industries and causing the rise in unemployment. As long as the energy sector is owned by government and centralised decision making is in place, the corruption and mismanagement will remain as main hurdles in the country’s economic growth. All over the world the businesses are now handled by professionals with the participation of private sector, a free market economy is being encouraged.
S T HUSSAIN
Lahore
