Bad policy

This letter refers to the article ‘Then and now: our 77-year journey’ (August 14, 2024) by Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri. The approach to foster inclusive growth and sustainable development offered by the author includes, inter-alia, “consistent, long-term economic strategy”. This is too simple and general. The devil is in the details. What if these strategies are wrong? The results will be disastrous. The reason why Pakistan is lagging behind neighbouring countries is that their policies are made by institutions after in-depth study and social, financial, and economic analysis.

In our case, policies are made at the whims of our leaders. For example, Nawaz Sharif seemed to have an obsession with building motorways, Shehbaz Sharif was after building metro bus tracks and distributing laptops, and now Maryam Nawaz is handing out electric scooters and tablets to students. In my view, these are all unproductive enterprises. There is a need for restrictions on the authority of political leaders to conceive, plan and implement projects intended for political gains and personal benefits.

Abdul Majeed

Islamabad