To do nothing is in everyman’s power. The impossible is often the untried. Like “nationalisation” of decades back, “privatisation” is a new catchword. Literally speaking to privatise is to make private what was formerly a public property. That is, of course, much too wide a category of action to be classed as a clear concept. A more specific, or less generic, description would be to take it as reversal or retroversion of nationalisation.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan there has been a lot of rhetoric and political sloganeering but no real substantial analysis of the intricacies of privatisation have ever been conducted. Privatisation has become like self-reliance, a much abused term by politicians who fail to understand the intellectual rationale and procedures involved.
An attempt can be made to navigate through the maze of complexities involved. What is the exact meaning of privatization? What is its history? What are the prospects and obstacles of privatisation in Pakistan? Privatisation must be carefully distinguished from liberalisation, its close associate.
While privatisation refers to a transfer for ownership rights, liberalisation refers to an enhancement of competition and efficiency.
One can privatise without liberalising by transferring an organisation from a public monopoly without making it more competitive.
HARIS RIZWAN
Karachi
