Pakistan confronts multiple challenges at present including terrorism, rehabilitation of flood-hit people and a weakening economy; all point toward an administration crisis that the government is facing from the past few years. Perhaps it's the involvement of the government on too many fronts that is making governance even more difficult.
Privatisation as a concept jumps in to offer government an easy and much needed resource for management of state owned entities. Individualland Pakistan a non-partisan Organisation held the book launch of "Examining Privatisation in Pakistan 2006-2010" here on Tuesday, in collaboration with Economic Freedom Network and Friedrich Naumann Stifting fur die Freiheit (FNF).
Speakers included Gulmina Bilal Ahmed Director Individualland Pakistan, Zubair Ahmed Malik Chief Co-ordinator Economic Freedom Network, also associated with SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Joseph Wilson Member (Policy Planning, Research, Exemptions & International Affairs) Competition Commission of Pakistan and Siegfried Herzog South Asian Regional Director (FNF).
Ethsam Waheed, Senior Programme Manager Individualland Pakistan said that the government must hand over the control of those companies that have become a liability to private groups. Gulmina Bilal said that some of the giant entities are run by a constant input of subsidies by the government, but still the performance level never match the international standards. So it's better if the government shares its burden with private groups so that the overall functioning of these entities is improved.
Zubair Ahmed said that EFN stands for liberal values such as less government and privatisation of state owned entities, adding that the constant input of subsidies have made certain companies an untenable burden for the government, so it's better if they are privatised. Dr Joseph Wilson said that his organisation is there to ensure that every company/organisation gets its share of prosperity and every intervention is based on merit.
Privatisation of previously government owned entities have proven that it's a useful process, not only for the government but for the public at large. Siegfried Herzog South Asian Regional Director (FNF) also highlighted the need of more privatisation of the government owned entities, giving the successful examples of privatisation from around the world and said that due to the present economic crisis in Pakistan, it's better that the government must privatise those companies that are constantly being run on subsidies.-PR