Leading engineers of Pakistan have expressed their reservations over the ongoing privatisation process specially that of high-tech national engineering concerns such as Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) and Pakistan Steel (PS) and termed these sales as ruinous.
Office-bearers of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Pakistan (IEEEP) whose slogan is "passion for progress" at the pre-symposium-2006 press briefing held at a local hotel on Tuesday said during question and answer session that they would not be able to issue any official statement on the privatisation process.
However, as individuals they think these sales as against national interest.
They said that PTCL, KESC and Pakistan Steel had not been properly priced and sold out as peanuts. "The future would tell about its adverse effects and these would not be different than what had happened in case of Enron Corporation, USA. A total disaster. We find similarities in the two cases."
They said that despite these remarks there were engineers who supported these deals.
However, IEEEP in its in-house discussion had been discussing these and many other engineering issues and in most of the cases, leaving exceptions apart, there had been serious concern about sales of national assets.
One of the engineers said that the Privatisation Commission and supporters were ignorant of the basic function of a government. It was not to be managed as a private sector commercial organisation.
"Addressing social issues and working for the welfare of the people constitutes its basic functions. The privatisation that has been carried out so far need re-evaluation and critical assessment of its immediate and long-term meanings/effects. Not every national asset on the pretext of "loss-making entity" should be brought under hammer.
We should look beyond money and in terms of welfare of the people."
Some of the engineers, office-bearers of the IEEEP, said that the sale of Pakistan Steel was a national loss.
They said it was not only an engineering complex, but had also developed into an institution over a period of time. "We have lost it to poor advice from Pakistani-looking foreign advisers."
Earlier, briefing the press of the forthcoming annual multi-topic international symposium, IEEEP Chairman S. K. Pervez said that it was only the other week the IEEEP had submitted energy vision/plan to the government to meet commercial and domestic needs.
He said that it had been proposed in the plan to harness renewable resources to generate 2 percent energy, arrange nuclear energy system to generate 8000MW, use of coal to produce 1,000MW by 2010 and 35,000-40,000MW through water resources and the rest from oil and gas.
He said that generation of power through water resources had been politicised, but there seemed to be no other option than construction of big dams for power generation.
They said that gas reserves would survive only for about seven years. To go for power generation from this source would need regular supply from the neighbouring countries. This may be Iran or any Central Asian country.
He said Pakistan had no alternative than to negotiate with neighbouring countries for piped gas and prepare for the coming years when there would be no gas available for power generation.
The symposium will be held from April 14-15 at a local hotel.
Pervez said that the objective of the symposium was to disseminate knowledge in the field of electrical, electronics, telecommunication and IT and, thereby, improve the professional standards of practising engineers.
The symposium also offers a platform for meaningful and fruitful discussion on the national issues.
Engineer Tanzeem Hussain Naqvi, former KESC managing director and Member Power, Wapda, will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural session. His paper is likely to generate some heat and policies of the government are likely to be critically examined. Engineer Asghar Ali Randhawa will inaugurate the symposium.
In two days, 16 technical papers will be presented in three separate sessions. There will be panel discussion on the national energy plan during which senior professionals involved in the development of energy plan would participate.
Pervez said the symposium would encourage students to participate in discussions and present papers.
Engineer Dr Salim Khan, Engineer S. S. A. Jafri and Engineer Irfan Ahmed also participated in the briefing and answered questions from the newsmen.
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