I read with interest the article “A case of misplaced priorities” (June 23) by Muhammad Waqas. I fully agree with the views expressed by the writer regarding the wrong priorities of the rulers of Pakistan. Most of our so-called democratically elected leaders usually act on their whims and wishes. Each one of them acts according to his/her choice completely ignoring the true needs of the country and its people. The present rulers have always been obsessed with huge infrastructure projects like motorways etc. I don’t have any problem with projects like motorway or metro buses but in view of the current problems facing Pakistan, spending huge funds on such projects is unwise.
At a time when the country is faced with acute power shortage, concrete steps should have been taken to address the issue once and for all. Unfortunately, our leaders, most of them, apparently don’t like to find permanent solutions to problems. They believe in quick fixes, perhaps the reason for this approach is that their politics are based on highlighting problems and to blame each other for the mess created by their mistakes. They want the country to continuously face problems so that they could continue harping about those lingering issues during electioneering. Pakistan has been blessed with huge natural resources but our leaders are not at all ready to exploit the untapped potential of the country. The problems Pakistan is facing could be solved with effective planning and by adopting the policy of zero-tolerance toward corruption. The recently announced budget is a perfect example of misplaced priorities. Investing in health and education is the key to success but these two sectors are always badly neglected. When people are struggling for life’s basics, construction of motorways, flyovers and underpasses appear to be a crude joke. — Shahbaz Ahmed Bhatti, Jeddah
Wrong policies
