Khurshid Shah said a couple of amazing things in the assembly, “a time was when other countries came to learn from us but where are we today”. Is he talking of the time when the south Koreans had come to witness the rapid spread of industry in Pakistan, they took home the lesson that the job of the government was only to set up industry which the private sector could not or would not, but then let the private sector run it, this is the lesson we forgot and that is why we are where we are today. I am surprised that Shah Saheb is surprised!
Two examples come to mind, the industrial complex at Kala Shah Kaku, driving on the GT road, past mile after mile of gleaming tanks and towers, one thanked the ‘powers that be’ for putting the country on the road to progress. If the process had not been interrupted there would have been many dozens of such industrial complexes all over the country.
The second glaring example is that of BECO in Lahore, which could have been mistaken for an industrial complex somewhere in Germany seeing the number of German engineers mingling with Pakistani engineers in hanger after hanger housing the latest machinery producing the latest goods, the owner of BECO had boasted that he would surpass TATA of India, and this was no idle boast.
Then among his other moans and groans Shah Saheb said another amazing thing, “the farmers are not getting any water”. And pray, which party and its leader has called a total halt to development of our water resources, the last increase having come 40 years ago, the 40 will become 55 before we see another increase, and we are sitting with our hands tucked behind us.
Engr Khurshid Anwer,
Lahore
