Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) Director Nadeem ul Haq on Monday said Pakistan is being run by donors and bureaucrats who hardly believe in research and policy work. He said this at a seminar held here on 'Rural Development and Poverty Reduction'.
He said that Pakistan is the only country where, left to right, everybody was doing his job without any commitment and dedication. He came hard on the elite, saying that they were making hay on the resources of others.
The PIDE Director questioned the participants whose majority came from research departments if they ever saw any bureaucrat in Pakistan who benefited from its (PIDE) work. 'No', was the answer. He appeared totally annoyed with the way the government affairs were being dealt by the decision makers. Nadeem said he was in PIDE service for three years now and was totally fed up and frustrated with the system.
He said: "I am feeling difficult to go with it (the system) since my frustration bit me badly." He said his frustration was so imminent and deep that everybody sitting in the seminar hall could not go without taking him seriously. Even the speakers had to close the session, saying: "I announce ending of the session with frustration".
But it was not only Nadeem's frustration. Big hands given to him by the participants showed that everybody in the hall was moved by his deep-sensed remarks that the existing system suited best to the elite or typical self-styled bureaucrats who did not miss any opportunity for exploitation.
Khalid Riaz made a presentation on Punjab's water and irrigation. He said that Pakistan's storage capacity is inadequate and decreasing due to siltation. He stressed need for additional storage, as per water accord. He also demanded that stock of irrigation infrastructure needed regular maintenance for efficient operation. Canal water allowance needs to be rationalised; abiana should be increased for better service.