Five years from
now, local and international newspapers will be crowded with stories about
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and its successful path to becoming a business friendly and
self-sufficient province.
It is no secret
that the province is tackling internal security issues, which are the major
hurdles when it comes to kick-starting the economy, but the province is
actively addressing the basic and fundamental aspects i.e. a corruption free,
transparent business environment and an educated work force to encourage
private entrepreneurship. It is simply impossible to expect deep rooted and
sustainable private sector development without these pieces in place. The
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is addressing these issues through its policies,
which the provincial government is determined to implement.
According to
Transparency International (TI)s Global Corruption Barometer 2013, police,
civil bureaucracy and political parties in Pakistan occupy the top three levels
when it comes to corruption. In 2012,Pakistan ranked 139th out of 176 countries
in the Corruption Perceptions Index.
Let's take a look
at some of the steps being taken by the new KP government.
The KP government
has proposed an autonomous provincial accountability commission, which will be
given special powers to curb the menace of corruption in the province. The
commission would conduct speedy hearings, aiming to complete the trial within a
two-month time frame, without any influence or interference by the government.
A former KP chief secretary, who has an impeccable record in government
service, has been asked to become a member of the proposed accountability
commission. This commission will be given the power to summon incumbent and
former ministers, public officers involved in embezzlement and the misuse of
state authority.
Further, KP police
has formed an internal police accountability commission along with disciplinary
committees at the district level to eliminate corruption. The
district committees and the commission will recommend the removal of corrupt
police officials to KPs Inspector General of Police. The provincial
government has already expelled numerous crooked police officers, ETOs,
patwaris etc. Authorities have also identified and prevented power thefts that
would have caused losses worth Rs320 million.
The KP government
is also formulating a working group for alternate dispute resolution to provide
social justice to its residents. The provincial law department terminated the
services of law officers, who had affiliations with the Awami National
Party-led provincial government. Police reforms in KP also include the
mandatory lodging of an FIR within five minutes of receiving a complaint and
the establishment of women complaint centers across the province.
Health sector
reforms include provisions for free emergency health treatment at government
hospitals and the formation of independent management councils to oversee
hospital procurement , transparency and uninterrupted services to
patients.
One of the biggest
achievements is the introduction of the Right to Information (RTI) ordinance by
the PTI-led government in KP. According to this progressive law, any citizen
can request access to public information regarding any of the designated 32
departments of the KP government. These departments are then supposed to
provide the requested information within 20 working days. Failure to provide
the information can result in a Rs50,000 fine, two-year prison sentence or both
for the responsible information officer. The law also provides protection to
whistleblowers. A commission has also been formed to ensure that applications
are replied to without any delays. The information ministry of KP is also
working towards making all such information available on government websites to
live up to its promise of transparency. For this purpose an online complaint
management and resolution system is also being setup as a sub-project of the
overall e-governance plan. The government has also planned a mass
awareness campaign to educate the people of the province about the RTI law,
which will help hold government officials accountable.
Despite the poor
law and order situation in KP, which the provincial government is addressing,
these fundamental changes are paving the way for private sector development.
With a corruption-free and transparent business environment, numerous opportunities
are likely to spring up in the housing and construction, tourism, energy,
transportation, mining, services and agriculture sector.
A transparent
public sector procurement process in KP will enable services providers and
suppliers to do businesses more efficiently especially in the areas of health
and education.
The provincial
government has already started projects such as mobile health
units, modernization of hospitals and plans to convert them into
autonomous bodies. The district headquarter hospitals will have boast an
autonomous structure and its own board of governors, two-thirds of whom will
belong to the private sector. A new medical college in Swabi has also been
approved by the KP chief minister Ð a move that will generate new employment
opportunities in KPÕs health sector and at the same time open doors for private
businesses to help these hospitals achieve their goals. The provincial
government has also begun work on improving infrastructure in the province with
an international standard mass transit system on the cards for Peshawar. The
urban policy unit of the Planning and Development department of KP has already
invited Expression of Interest from the private sector to conduct a feasibility
study for the mass transit programme. The proposed system comprises one main
train system connected with a bus system. The KP government also
plans to develop two new mega cities, one along the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway
and the other near Abbottabad, to uplift the housing and construction sector
and boost employment, trade and provide modern affordable housing in the
province.
All of these
initiatives require trained and skilled human resource for making development
sustainable. For this a working group has been formed in KP to develop the
draft for improving the higher education system in the province. The government
has also recommended the set up of a Quality Evaluation Cell to measure the
academic performance of each university and its staff through a comprehensive
feedback system. A public drive to increase the school enrollment rate and
decrease the dropout ratio has also been initiated by the education ministry.
To address the
energy shortfall, the KP government has shown its keenness to develop hydel
power projects in the province with some international companies committing
investments in this area. Two such projects have recently been inaugurated by
the PTI Chairman Imran Khan in Kalam which were handed over to the Sarhad Rural
Support Programme (NGO).
To facilitate
investments in KP, the provincial government has offered major incentives to
the private sector, including a 25 percent rebate on electricity consumption
and exemption on property tax in industrial estates. With all of these
developments taking place in the first ninety days of the newly-elected
government its safe to say KPs policymakers are heading in the right direction
and certainly aiming towards a sustainable long-term growth model to ensure
that businesses thrive in the province.
The writer is an
investment management professional
After the attack, the Pakistani Air Force increased air patrols of the northwestern tribal areas in Pakistan. It also cancelled holidays and breaks for officials in the region.
By Faisal Malik
By Faisal Malik
