Investment from the US

Deviating from its normal practice, the United States is reported to have agreed to prepare the draft of a bilateral investment treaty to accommodate Pakistan's point of view. It is a welcome move as the success of any agreement can only be assured if its provisions address common concerns. The Investment and Trade Agreement Framework now under negotiation is expected to build upon what has been achieved in bilateral economic relations since the turn of events after 9/11.

Americans have been among the top investors but the quantum of direct foreign investment has ranged between 200-300 million dollars per annum in preferred sectors like oil and gas. The low investment levels are much below the volume required to nurture an evolving strategic relationship between the two countries on a sound and durable basis.

Pakistan badly needs large-scale US private investment in a much wider range of economic activities to achieve a sustained level of economic growth and to pursue common security agenda. This includes the rooting out of the basic causes of militancy and giving hope to the marginalized segment of the population for a better future.

With the first phase of reforms completed, Pakistan believes that time has now come for the two governments to re-appraise their strategies with focus on investment and market access. Pakistan offers a good investment potential with immense opportunities in a fast growing economy, a relatively stable floating exchange rate, a low and flexible interest rate and unprecedented levels of foreign exchange reserves.

Corporate taxes are also sliding despite much improved returns on investments. No doubt, Americans have started investing in Pakistan's textile industry with an eye on the WTO trade regime to be effective from January 2005 which offers challenges as well as opportunities for the textile manufactures in both countries.

US investment in textiles jumped to $12 million in fiscal 2003 from under two million dollars over a year. But much wider scope exists for US manufacturers to relocate production facilities in this country through joint ventures, strategic alliances, marketing partnerships and technical collaboration. Pakistan's economic managers think that such an arrangement could save some American jobs on the one hand and provide cheaper clothing to the US consumers on the other.

The door for foreign investment in the financial sector would be opened wider under the second generation of reforms. It is an area where US financial institutions have global sway and unmatched expertise. The domestic financial markets, narrow and shallow, are to be deepened through such measures as pension and mutual funds.

Pakistan is also seeking foreign investment and technology transfer in education and training, scientific research and infrastructure development. As the public sector annual spending can finance only one-half of the physical infrastructure needs, the government wants to fill the gap through joint private-public partnership, including foreign investment.

However, to attract American investment, Pakistan needs to improve the investment climate by concentrating on security problems which deter foreigners from coming and investing in Pakistan. Problems in other areas like adequate and efficient infrastructure, economical transport and energy costs are required to be attended to more vigorously. No less important is training of manpower in new skills to cater to the need for modernizing the economy. The cost of doing business must be reduced as recommended by the World Bank.

Safeguarding heritage

The report that the Punjab archaeology department has neither the funds nor the staff required to maintain the Lahore Fort and the Shalimar Gardens is indeed disquieting. It confirms the fears expressed by those who had opposed the handing over of the two monuments to the provincial government by the federal archaeology department last July. Both the monuments, enlisted by Unesco among its world heritage sites, were handed over to the Punjab government despite protests by Unesco, citing the lack of technical and financial resources required for proper upkeep of historical monuments with the provincial government.

Punjab had acquired the custodianship of the national monuments after years of squabbling with Islamabad. The deal could materialize only after Lahore promised to set up a heritage fund with seed money of at least Rs10 million for the repair and maintenance of the two monuments. Not only has the fund not been set up, the Punjab government has since been relying on the federal government to pay the salaries of the existing staff at the two monuments.

Punjab has spearheaded the campaign of handing over the national monuments to the provinces by the centre since the first Nawaz Sharif government. The rest of the provinces, however, have consistently refused to take such custodianship without adequate funds being provided to them to set up or bolster archaeology departments at the provincial level. This is the right approach, which should have been applied to Punjab before Islamabad formally handed over the country's most famous monuments to the provincial government.

There is nothing wrong with the provinces taking charge of the national monuments but these cannot be given to them without ensuring their proper upkeep and maintenance over the longer term. The federal government would do well to serve notice on the Punjab government, requiring it to arrange proper custodianship of the Lahore Fort and the Shalimar Gardens within a stipulated timeframe. Failing this, Islamabad should be ready to reclaim the two monuments to save them from the apathy of an inept and ill-equipped provincial archaeology department.

System, not campaigns

The Sindh governor has given town municipal officers in Karachi 15 days to clean the city of waste and garbage or face suspension. This comes a week after a cleanliness campaign initiated by the city government. Whether it is the governor or the nazim doing something on this pressing public health and sanitation issue, the fact is that a city of over 12 million people has no functioning waste collection and management system. In fact, when the city government's campaign was going on, considerable funds were wasted on newspaper advertisements.

A drive to eliminate stray dogs was also part of the campaign but despite that their numbers have not dwindled. While, such measures and deadlines are welcome and, in fact, urgently needed, piecemeal implementation or campaigns done by fits and starts are not going to help and may indeed reinforce the public perception that the authorities do not give this important matter the priority it deserves.

One does not have to be an urban planning expert to know that Karachi, which generates so much solid waste and garbage, needs not just a cleanliness campaign that lasts only 10 days. What the city needs is an efficient and unfailing system of waste collection and disposal that works round the year. Low-income areas and the teeming katchi abadis often have mountains of solid waste piled up and lying uncollected for weeks, and the effects on public health can well be imagined. Even the so-called 'posh' areas are not much better off.

The city's various town administrations must ensure that the sanitation and cleaning staff do their job properly and collect the trash. Action must be taken against all those workers who draw their salaries but work in private homes. The other problem is lack of vehicles for transporting the workers and the garbage and here too allocations need to be increased. However, the prerequisite of all of this is a change in the official mindset and an end to the tussle for power and domination between the provincial government and the city authorities that is wasteful of energy and resources.