Wastage of Natural Resources

Asem Mustafa Awan

Indiscriminate wastage of national resources is alarming, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his displeasure while heading a meeting on energy saving measures over the performance of the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NICA).

NICA experts were asked to deliver action plans for the ministries for efficient energy savings, and with the summer season about to start, there is nothing in sight from the government that has been in office for nearly a year now. On the contrary, the government appears to be contributing to the energy crisis.

To begin, the group of ministers, which consists of 78 people in total, many of whom have not been assigned portfolios, enjoys the perks and privileges of being a minister.

The conservation of energy and austerity should start from the top, and the PM has a mammoth cabinet to start with.

Parliamentary democracy is said to be the most expensive form of government, and its survival has been possible only because it devolves power to the lower levels. This devolution of powers is very clear in Britain and India. In New Zealand and other parliamentary democracies in Europe, the common man is powerful, prosperous, and has a say in state affairs.

Parliamentary democracy, on the other hand, is only available to the elite class in Pakistan. The convenience and welfare of the common man should be the top priority in formulating every policy and decision. The impact on the common person should be considered because the government’s decisions have a direct impact.

A debt-ridden country for decades, Pakistan’s expensive parliamentary democracy is diverting all resources to the privileged elite, and there is no one who represents the lower class in the House. The 78 members forming the PM’s hand-picked pool for the cabinet are all from the elite circle.

Pakistan is endowed with abundant resources, but through a systematic design, all are taken away from the common man. Pakistan is an agriculture-based country that produces its own crops, but food security is poor despite the fact that it ranks first in the world in production of wheat, cotton, sugarcane, mangoes, and other crops.

There are vast deposits of copper, gold, bronze, natural salt, chromite, iron, and other natural metals, besides huge reserves of coal and a treasure chest of precious stones. A large number of human resources exist in the form of youth, but something is missing as no clear policy exists, which has resulted in doom and desperation everywhere.

The project of using solar energy has been presented many times, along with controlling the business hours of traders to save energy. It has been over a month now, and the traders have not adhered to cabinet orders regarding working hours.

There is also a report on fuel consumption by motorcycle users, amounting to three billion dollars, but nothing is said about providing cheap transportation for the masses. There is no doubt that the country is deprived of using its natural resources for its own benefit, which is very concerning because something is wrong somewhere.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.