Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

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Obsession with infrastructure 

Publication Year : 2021
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AT the inauguration of the first motorway in Pakistan, the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif proclaimed a dazzling future, with industrial cities that would sprout all along such motorways. In turn, these were to propel economic activity, create tremendous job opportunities, and lift Pakistan’s economy to lofty heights, finally achieving its dream of becoming an ‘Asian Tiger’. I recalled this instance while watching Prime Minister Imran Khan bemoan the fact that his government had to pay back Rs3,500 billion on earlier loans, which otherwise his government would have spent on ‘infrastructure’ that could have taken Pakistan’s economy to dizzying heights.