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Not Without Uninterrupted
Electric Supply
 Subsequent
Pakistani governments make claims about their economic
achievements. Musharraf regime, due to its illegal status and
immoral nature, tries to make towering claims about economic
development. His media managers do not let go any opportunity to
stamp their claim on any achievements even if these achievements
were made by consecutive Benazir and Nawaz Sharif regimes.
There is nothing wrong about such claims. All
governments refer to their achievements to maintain their
credibility and make them look good in the eyes of their
citizens. Democratic governments do so because they have to turn
back to their voters for re-election, but military regimes that
take over countries illegally do not have such compulsions.
However, by making towering claims about their economic
achievements they want their citizens to know that they are
better alternatives to elected civilian governments.
Coming back to economic development, our
contention is that no claim about economic development by any
government, legal or illegal, civilian or military, is true or
justified until unless they provide solid electric supply system
to the country. Nothing works without energy. Electricity is the
most important form of energy which plays the most important
role in the economic development of any country.
Pakistan always had shortage of electric
supply. Various governments worked on projects to improve
electric supply, but still, electric supply is not reliable in
Pakistan. Other than regular load-shedding in all different
cities and towns of the country, no one knows when electric
system breaks down and supply is interrupted.
These interruptions not only make citizens’
lives difficult in harsh winter and summer seasons, they cause
serious economic losses to manufacturers and businesses which
have domino effect on laborers’ earnings, shortage of products
in local markets, delay or loss in exports and deficit in
government revenues.
Electric supply interruptions are not unknown
or new phenomenon in Pakistan. It has only become more chronic
with widening gap between shortage in electric supply and
growing energy needs.
If various consecutive Pakistani governments
make tall claims about their economic achievements, the only
measure to judge the level of their economic achievements is
their achievement in meeting the growing electric supply needs
of the country. Fundamental difference between developed and
underdeveloped countries is their ability to meet their electric
supply needs. Developed countries developed their electric
supply resources or maintained the level of their electric
supply equal to their growing electric supply needs.
In modern times, economic development means
industrial development. Without industrial development no
country can be considered a developed country. And without
constant and uninterrupted electric supply industrial
development is a far off possibility.
Therefore, a simple test which Pakistanis can
apply to judge the claims of economic achievements of their
governments is their contribution to develop reliable, constant,
uninterrupted electric supply.
Under general Musharraf, Pakistan is facing
the most devastating shortage in electric supply. His media
managers can make all the claims about their economic
achievements, but country-wide broken electric supply systems
tell the true story of their economic achievement claims.
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