Musharraf Era performance: Pakistan Flourishes

Musharraf Era performance: Pakistan Flourishes

1. According to the Economic Survey 2005, poverty in Pakistan in 2001 was 34.46%. And now, after 7-8 years of Musharraf, poverty in 2005 was 23.9%. Thus, poverty DECREASED by 10.56%. Overall, 12 million people have been pushed out of Poverty in 2001 – 2005!

2. Literacy rate in Pakistan has increased from 45% (in 2002) to 53% (in 2005). Education now receives 4% of GDP and English has been introduced as a compulsory subject from grade 1.

3. Nov 2006: President Musharraf said that Pakistan will set up Nine Engineering World Class Science and Technology Federal Universities by 2008 with foreign assistance. He said the institutions of higher learning would be established in collaboration with Italy, South Korea, Japan, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Austria and China. The Cost of building these Universities will be over Rs 96.5 billion.

The Vice Chancellors, Heads of department, Professors and Faculty of the planned university will be from these foreign Universities, while the examination system, the quality assurance followed, as well as the Degree awarded will also be from these foreign Universities.

4. In 1999-2000 there were 31 Public Universities. Now 2005-2006 there are 49Public Universities.

Air University (established 2002); Institute of Space technology, ISB (established 2002); Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, Quetta (established 2004); University of Science & Technology, Bannu (established 2005); University of Hazara (founded 2002); Malakand university, Chakdara (established 2002); Karakurum International university, Gilgit (established 2002); University of Gujrat (established 2004); Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore (established 2002); Sarhad University of IT, Peshawar (established 2001); etc.

5. 6-member delegation of Australian Department of Education, Science & Technology and AusAID, visited Pakistan on the request of PM Shaukat Aziz in order to help Pakistan in its efforts to realign its TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) according to the market needs. Chairman NAVTEC, Altaf Saleem, informed the delegation about NAVTEC plans to increase the capacity to train one million people annually by 2010 from the present annual capacity of 320,000.

6. President Musharraf inaugurated an 18 Mega Watt Naltar hydro power project, of over Rs. 1.36 billion. The project was completed in four years at Naltar near Gilgit.

7. GILGIT: President Musharraf inaugurated the dry port in the border town of Sust, 200 km north of Gilgit. The Dry port, a Pakistan-China joint venture, was built in 2004 at a cost of Rs90 million, on a height of 10,000-foot.

8. Dec 2006: President Musharraf said that many canals, including the Thal and Raini canals, were being constructed for better utilization of the available water. He said Rs66 billion was being spent on the brick-lining of 87,000 canals in the country, adding that 6,000 new canals would be brick-lined next year.

9. President Musharraf recently inaugurated the Mirani Dam. Mirani Dam in Kech area of Mekran district, with a catchment area of 12,000 square kilometer, has been built in four years at a cost of Rs6 billion which includes Rs1.5 billion in compensation to the affected people. It will have a storage capacity of over 300,000 million acre feet of water.

10. The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sector of Pakistan has attracted over Rs 70 billion investments during the last five years as a result of liberal and encouraging policies of the government. Presently, some 1,765 CNG stations are operating in the country, in 85 cities and towns, and 1000 more would be set-up in the next three years. It has provided employment for 30,000 people in the country.

11. Former corrupt and incompetent Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, made only one motorway – M2 (Lahore – Islamabad). Under Musharraf 6 motorways are either completed or under construction:

•M1 (Islamabad to Peshawar) – (Rs.13 bn) – [155 km] – (started 2003 – Completed Oct 2007)

•M3 (Pindi to Faisalabad) – (Rs.5.6 bn) – [53 km] – (started 2002 – Completed 2004)

•M8 (Gwadar to Ratodero) – [1072 km] – (started 2004 – will complete 2009)

•M9 (Karachi to Hyderabad) – (Rs.6.3 bn) – [136 km]

•M10 (Karachi Northern bypass) – (Rs 3.5 bn) – [56 km] – (completed 2007)

•M11 (Lahore to Sialkot) – (Rs.23 bn) –[101 km] – (started 2006 – under construction)

12. Under Musharraf various highways under construction throughout the country. Including N5, N-25, N-35, N-45, N-50, N-55, N-65, N-70, N-75, N-80, S-1, etc.

13. General Pervez Musharraf inaugurated the Makran Coastal Highway (N-10) project in August 2001, consisting of Karachi-Gwadar, Pasni-Gwadar, and Ormara-Liari (Balochistan) Highways. The cost of the Liari-Ormara Highway was Rs3.9 billion and that of Pasni-Gwadar Highway, Rs2.8 billion respectively. The total length of Makran Coastal Highway is 533 kilometers.

14. Major Industrial estates are being developed under Musharraf’s vision: M3 industrial, Sundar industrial estate, Chakri industrial, etc.

15. The Karachi city government’s rehabilitation of Industrial zones and improvement plan for all four industrial zones of the city needs to be completed in 7-8 months. The projects are worth Rs 2.5 billion whereas the ‘beautification’ project worth Rs 4.5 billion.

16. 29-12-07: City Nazim Mustafa Kamal said the construction work of a 47-storeyIT Tower in the vicinity of Civic Centre at a cost of $200m would start soon. Around40,000 youth would get employment in the IT Tower. It will have 10,000 call centres, out of which 6,000 have already been booked so far.

17. President Musharraf inaugurated a 50-bed state-of-the-art Workers Welfare Fund Kidney Centre. The first-ever kidney centre in Baluchistan, constructed on7.5 acres, at a cost of Rs385 million, and having the diagnostic, dialysis, surgical and lab facilities, will help the people of this area.

18. CM Pervaiz Elahi inaugurated Pakistan’s first Software technology park (STP) on Ferozpur Road, to be implemented by Punjab IT Board (PITB). The Rs 1.5 billion project is set over an area of 32 kanals; will be completed in 12 months and is expected to directly create 10,000 jobs and generate economic activity of Rs 9 billion per year.