Pakistan’s misguided obsession with infrastructure

[simplestguy]

Efficiency matters..once the grand trunk road is saturated..heavier traffic will take the motor way...it is efficiency to be burning fuel driving than being stuck in traffic...

The motorway was built in 1997 and motorists still prefer the grand trunk road, why? It means it is more efficient and there is no traffic issue etc.... Infrastructure should be built according to the need of people, this motorway currently has no worth.

 

[somebozo]

The motorway was built in 1997 and motorists still prefer the grand trunk road, why? It means it is more efficient and there is no traffic issue etc.... Infrastructure should be built according to the need of people, this motorway currently has no worth.

Doesnt matter..someday..we will use it..the fact that it exist..will come handy some day...not all motorways are built for precise purpose of public use..some also have a covert wartime purpose..concealed in civilian utility..for example..when the Jeddah - Yemen express way was built..it looked stupid..but realizing the Saudi history of war in Yemen..it provided very fast cross country transit for Saudi forces to control Yemeni infiltration...

 

[American Pakistani]

Infrastructure is as important as the factories. Worthless article.

What Pakistan need is to create underground subway systems for cities like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, etc.

 

[Flash_Ninja]

You skipped over the work that got them to get their economies to take off.

There is still and always will be a demand for cheap labor, the problem is whether Pakistan has the inputs to take those contracts.

We tried many economic reforms in the early 90's and the economy never took off.

The simple reason is bad governance, and corruption, as well as a lack of domestic consumers for whatever products a factory could make.

Fast forward to today and we still have this issue, businesses are continuing to leave paksitan because of this:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1097357

"The US entertainment giant banned any import from Pakistan as the country failed to satisfy the trading partner company of its intentions to improve what it considered “poor governance standards”."

At least the Chinese and South Koreans had visionary leaders who could continue the goals of their predecessors. In Pakistan however.....

As for the demand for labor, it fluctuates depending on the global economic situation. But economists generally predict that within the next 30 years, most jobs will be taken over by machines or software. For Paksitan it could work but we have to grow very fast, and im not seeing that at all under the current government.

If we want high growth then we need to focus on other aspects, which will bring businesses into Pakistan which will give us revenue to grow infrastructure and develop further. Taking large loans and building roads with very little to show for it is not a good economic policy, at the very least there should be promotion of Pakistan abroad but even this is not happening.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Despite being 90km shorter it still take more time on GT road because of speed, condition of road, traffic etc The reason majority of traffic goes through GT road is simple, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum, Pindi, are most developed and populated districts in north of punjab. More people have vehicles there then the ones in from where motorway run through. So if people from these districts need to go to Islamabad or Lahore they don't have any other choice but to use GT road.

Good point. I think the motorway idea is great and should be extended across the entire country vigouresly but I do think the M2 was messed up. The route they followed was wrong. It should have followed the same alignment as GT road but 5-10 miles south. At every 20 miles links roads should have been built to connect it with GT road node points.

 

[simplestguy]

Doesnt matter..someday..we will use it..the fact that it exist..will come handy some day...not all motorways are built for precise purpose of public use..some also have a covert wartime purpose..concealed in civilian utility..for example..when the Jeddah - Yemen express way was built..it looked stupid..but realizing the Saudi history of war in Yemen..it provided very fast cross country transit for Saudi forces to control Yemeni infiltration...

Have you ever read about opportunity cost? Its an economic term search it in google. If we didnt waste that money in building unnecessary infrastructure we could use to build schools, buy aircraft, energy, roads, etc...... And today we will be using it

 

[maximuswarrior]

Pakistan undoubtedly needs to relieve a chronic shortage of electricity. But critics fear the country will struggle to pay back the debt, especially if foreign-exchange earnings from exports continue to dwindle.

Another beauty. Now Chinese debt has become the problem. The debt is never a problem when it is provided by the World Bank, IMF or Western sources. The article reeks with bias.

As long as the infrastructure and loans are from Western sources we won't hear criticism. As soon as China and Pakistan are lumped together it is just the end of the world.

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

The simple reason is bad governance, and corruption, as well as a lack of domestic consumers for whatever products a factory could make.

So... you half-a$$ed something and expected to become an Asian Tiger?

Yup sounds like a Pakistani policy.

 

[somebozo]

Have you ever read about opportunity cost? Its an economic term search it in google. If we didnt waste that money in building unnecessary infrastructure we could use to build schools, buy aircraft, energy, roads, etc...... And today we will be using it

Its a hypothetical scenario..obviously the person who came up to build the motor way had his part of justifications as well..govt is more complicated than being a simpleton shrimp

Pakistan undoubtedly needs to relieve a chronic shortage of electricity. But critics fear the country will struggle to pay back the debt, especially if foreign-exchange earnings from exports continue to dwindle.

Another beauty. Now Chinese debt has become the problem. The debt is never a problem when it is provided by the World Bank, IMF or Western sources. The article reeks with bias.

All authors start with a mindset which reflects their writing..in this case...the authors took up the initiative..Bash china!

 

[maximuswarrior]

Its a hypothetical scenario..obviously the person who came up to build the motor way had his part of justifications as well..govt is more complicated than being a simpleton shrimp

All authors start with a mindset which reflects their writing..in this case...the authors took up the initiative..Bash china!

Undoubtedly this paid author is writing with a purpose. The purpose seems to defame CPEC. Otherwise the author would have mentioned Western loans for the record as well. If Chinese loans are bad so are Western loans.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

We tried many economic reforms in the early 90's and the economy never took off.

It's going to be difficult going for Pakistan. There are two reasons converging that lead to Pakistan's chronic problem of finding export markets. The two side of the coin are -

1. Extreme hostility to the West/Anti-Semitism.
2. A rentier mafia going as industry inside Pakistan.

It;s interesting to see how Walt Disney busted Pakistan but spared Bangla whose conditions I would wager will be worse than Pakistan. However in case of Pakistan they cut no slack but on appeal they accomodated Bangladesh. As long as these two things stand there is not much hope.

*Pakistan really needs to learn from Chinese, I am hoping CPEC will lead to lots of Chinese influence that might begin change inside the country.

 

[maximuswarrior]

It's going to be difficult going for Pakistan. There are two reasons converging that lead to Pakistan's chronic problem of finding export markets. The two side of the coin are -

1. Extreme hostility to the West/Anti-Semitism.
2. A rentier mafia going as industry inside Pakistan.

It;s interesting to see how Walt Disney busted Pakistan but spared Bangla whose conditions I would wager will be worse than Pakistan. However in case of Pakistan they cut no slack but on appeal they accomodated Bangladesh. As long as these two things stand there is not much hope.

Walt Disney was mostly politically motivated. They towed their government's line and accused Pakistan of all sorts.

 

[simplestguy]

Its a hypothetical scenario..obviously the person who came up to build the motor way had his part of justifications as well..govt is more complicated than being a simpleton shrimp

Ya Govt is complicated and people/public are innocent.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

We need to retain and nurture men like Shahid Khan. This is what a real businessman is. This is sort of the go get attitude with no room for religous mumbo jumbo that Pakistan needs.

 

[Flash_Ninja]

It's going to be difficult going for Pakistan. There are two reasons converging that lead to Pakistan's chronic problem of finding export markets. The two side of the coin are -

1. Extreme hostility to the West/Anti-Semitism.
2. A rentier mafia going as industry inside Pakistan.

It;s interesting to see how Walt Disney busted Pakistan but spared Bangla whose conditions I would wager will be worse than Pakistan. However in case of Pakistan they cut no slack but on appeal they accomodated Bangladesh. As long as these two things stand there is not much hope.

*Pakistan really needs to learn from Chinese, I am hoping CPEC will lead to lots of Chinese influence that might begin change inside the country.

This is why we need a leader that has a vision of some sort, and can bring in business from abroad.

When Nawaz goes to other countries its almost always just friendly MOU's, or defence agreements, there's no concrete trade being done.

We build all this infrastructure, but abroad nobody has any idea of the construction taking place. For them Pakistan is a risky and volatile market, and it would be cheaper to instead build a factory in Bangladesh, India, or China. If one day a western power such as the US decides to sanction Pakistan for whatever reason, then their investment will go down the drain.

Theres also the factor with bad governance, nobody is going to invest if their workers end up striking, or if their power shuts down, or if police are unable to protect their factories.

Law & Order, Education, Healthcare reforms, alongside a functional foreign policy is the only way to make our growth skyrocket.