President calls for policies’ continuation

ASSOCIATED PRESS SERVICE



LAHORE : President Pervez Musharraf has stressed the need for bridging the gap between policy formulation and implementation as well as their sustainability and continuation. He was addressing the participants of 88th National Management Course (BPS-18) and 3rd Senior NMC (BPS-19 and above) at National Management College here on Saturday.
The President said, “Government sector is faced with two major problems- big gap between policy formulation and implementation as well as lack of their sustainability and continuation.”
He observed there is a culture of changing policy by doing away with the policies of the previous government, which hinders the development of the country.
Musharraf said, “You represent various professions of public departments and you are indeed the backbone and driving force of the government.”
He called upon the officers to pay heed to implementation of policies, besides ensuring their sustainability.
Another grave problem is time delay in decision making which due to both vertical (delay within the department) and horizontal (time delay among the departments) create obstacles in policy implementation, he maintained.
“We must apply our minds on smooth functioning and continuation of policies,” he added.
He pointed out that there is no systematic grooming of officers and weaknesses in Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs). The officers must show moral courage while writing the ACRs, he asserted.
The President said nepotism is another menace of whole of Pakistan and the departments, which badly affects the working of departments. He stressed the need for selecting right persons and putting them on right job.
Addressing the officers at NMC, President Musharraf said, “My definition of government is that the job of a government is to ensure security, progress and development of the country and welfare and well-being of its people.”
The President emphasized upon the officers to save the nation from all external and internal dangers. “We have no offensive designs and are at peace which is our strength.”
Elaborating the economic situation, the President said Pakistan’s economy and its fundamentals are strong. The country had recorded growth of over six percent and the GDP soard from $ 63 billion in 1999 to $ 160 billion at present while revenues increased from Rs 300 billion seven years ago to Rs one trillion.
Pakistan’s exports and investment in the country also increased substantially, which is evident from the current export figure of $ 8.4 billion and remittances of $ 6 billion, he added.
The President said, “Our potential is doubling and tripling and we must understand our importance for being in a very good location.”
He said Pakistan’s fiscal deficit and balance of payment was well under control but the economic pace was derailed as “we have been facing three-fold problems of hike in prices of oil wheat and edibles since 2007.” But the basic economic indicators are correct, the President said.
“We have to put the economy again on the track, for which we have to take tough decisions to pull the nation out of the three-fold crisis.”
He said wheat prices increased manifolds, as meat consumption in China and India has almost doubled and they started growing fodder for livestock instead of wheat, and the reduced wheat yield ultimately raised its prices in the international market.
The government, he said, has taken effective measures to control wheat smuggling and hoarding.
In order to meet the edible oil requirement, he said Pakistan should review its agricultural policy and cultivate canola, sunflower and other oil-seed crops by curtailing the sugar-cane cultivation.
He said the government also focused on construction of dams—Bhasha, Merani, Subakzai etc, and canals like Thal, Jalalpur and Kachhi canal to bring the virgin land under cultivation.
President Pervez Musharraf said that fast industrial development in Pakistan widened the generation-demand gap of electricity, for which government was taking vital steps to overcome the energy crisis by initiating mega projects of hydro-electricity, coal and gas.
He said, poverty alleviation, unemployment control and skill development, promotion of health and education sector is also on government’s priority.
He said, “Pakistan can act as a funnel for Central Asian states’ trade, provided, we have well communication infrastructure- road, rail and air linkages.”
Expanded communication infrastructure in Pakistan as well as external linkage with Iran, Afghanistan and China, would guarantee socio-economic development in the country, he added.
Musharraf said, “We have to take holistic view of our problems and have to observe where the world is moving.”
After the general election on February 18, 2008, he said, coalition government came into being and if there is harmony in the coalition government, it can deliver well to fight against terrorism and resolve other problems.