Engineering sector remains neglected

Pakistan Economic Survey is relied upon as an official and authentic document depicting national economy alongwith performance of various economic and industrial sectors, which is taken as a reference by domestic as well as international analysts.
Pakistan Economic Survey 2005-06 has presented a bleak picture of performance of engineering sector, but, ironically, compares it with the developed countries at the same time. The Survey describes status of engineering sector, under Chapter 03, Manufacturing, Mining and Investment Policies (page 33) and I quote the two paragraphs:
"Engineering sector accounts for 63 percent share in world trade. Achieving any significant share of the world trade in engineering goods and services Pakistan will have to do many things which include gearing up our universities, polytechniques and factories for the kind of manufacturing prowess and design capabilities required by the world market, which now stands spoilt for choices. In this context an important step has been taken by the restructuring of the Engineering Development Board.
In Pakistan, large scale manufacturing companies in engineering sector lack export strategies as well as export developments. While Japan, Korea and Malaysia rely on their large-scale companies to spearhead the export push' in Pakistan this is being conveniently left to the SME sector. The government needs to look at this deficiency and bring the prowess of large scale manufacturing sector into play for a quantum jump in export of engineering goods."
As one may observe, the review is incomprehensible and void of facts and figures pertaining to performance of this vitally important sector, having no relevance whatsoever to the economic survey. At best, these simply are comments, and that too incomplete, if not insensible, suggesting the government itself to take corrective measures. The text however speaks, and speaks loud, about low priority the government accords to the engineering sector and the hollowness of the statements frequently made by our rulers and planners claiming to strengthen and modernise it.