Energy deficit
undermining economy
Multiple factors are undermining the state of the national economy, including the global economic recession, energy deficits and the blowback from Pakistan’s active participation in the war on terror. These remarks were made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gillani while addressing the 71 Annual Session of Pakistan Engineering Congress (PEC) here on Tuesday. Gillani said that PEC was meeting at a very crucial juncture where the economy was reeling under the burden of colossal damage to farmland, infrastructure and livelihood of millions of Pakistanis in the wake of unprecedented floods that swept away the entire country. He underscored that these dangers posed a significant threat to the future of the country. Another dilemma was the high rate of population growth that was greater than the GDP growth rate. This entails that the government would have to struggle to provide civic amenities to the population due to the pace of population growth, he maintained.
Population growth
major challenge
He pointed out that among SAARC member countries, Pakistan had the highest population growth rate and the overall inhabitants of the country were expected to reach 210.13 million by 2020. This, he underlined, would contribute to stagnating the economic progress of the country. Speaking about the emerging challenges in the face of adversity, the prime minister said that all engineers had a collective responsibility to improve the lives of people and work for their welfare. “Sustainable development will not be possible without full input by the engineering professionals,” the prime minister said, quoting the UN Secretary General Maurice Strong.
Engineers should be in sync with ground realities
Gillani reiterated that these were indeed hard times for the people at large, and the engineers would find themselves working in a peculiar social, economic and political context. Therefore, he said, whatever strategies the engineering workforce dwell in must be in sync with ground realities of the country. He called upon the engineering community to work as ‘collaborators and partners in development’. He appreciated the role of the PEC in working side by side with the government during the floods that aided in the rehabilitation of the affectees. However, the prime minister called for sustained engagement of the engineering community to address a plethora of problems such as the preservation of water resources, transportation, sanitation, improved health facilities, energy production, infrastructure development and communication.
Govt willing to lend support
He emphasized on the fact that a large disconnect was prevalent between young engineers and the enormity of the socio-economic and developmental challenges that Pakistan faces. He said, that young engineers must be trained taking into account these challenges. “They must be prepared to make strong decisions in local, regional and global contexts. They must become the facilitator of sustainable development through the use of innovative technologies and interaction with stakeholders,” the prime minister said.
He said that the government was ready to lend its support where required. He requested the PEC to formulate their recommendations in this regard, including the establishment of engineering services of Pakistan. He said that the recommendations should work out a framework to implement the suggestions of the congress and give their expert opinion on transforming engineering education, research and practice.
The prime minister said that it is the collective responsibility of all of us to work towards the improvement of the lives of people. “Creating a Pakistan that is secure, healthy, productive and offers all basic services to its citizens must be our mission,” he concluded.