ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Office has announced the formation of a high-level committee tasked with drafting a transition plan for the dissolution of the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD).

The committee is headed by the Minister for Housing and Works and also includes the Planning Commission’s deputy chairman and the secretaries for establishment and power divisions.

The committee is scheduled to present its findings and recommendations shortly after the Eidul Azha holidays.

This decision comes in the wake of directives from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who on June 3 called for the abolition of the PWD, citing its long-standing poor performance and corruption issues.

Panel headed by housing minister will present its findings after Eid

The committee’s terms of reference (ToRs) include creating a strategy to dismantle the PWD and develop alternative models for managing public sector development projects to ensure more efficient resource utilisation.

The committee will also recommend strategies for maintaining assets currently managed by the PWD and overseeing ongoing projects during and after the transition period. Additionally, it will outline prospects for the department’s employees.

The formation of this committee is based on the government’s broader plan to reduce expenditures and the size of the government infrastructure.

However, the decision has sparked significant unrest among PWD employees, who have started protest demonstrations at the department’s headquarters in Islamabad and its regional offices nationwide.

The employees have formed a joint action committee to organise protests across the country and engage with influential authorities, including politicians, to pursue their cause.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Housing and Works has written a letter to the PWD’s director general, seeking detailed performance and workforce as well as financial position of the department.

The PWD has 16 circles in four zones across the country, and the details sought by the housing ministry include a brief history and introduction of the PWD, the legal framework applicable, grade-wise sanctioned and working strength of employees, and budgetary details of employee-related and non-employee-related expenditures in the last five years.

The PWD, established in July 1854 with Lord Robert Napier as its first chief engineer, has been responsible for all civil, military, and public engineering works in the country.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2024

Opinion

From hard to harder

From hard to harder

Instead of ‘hard state’ turning even harder, citizens deserve a state that goes soft on them in delivering democratic and development aspirations.

Editorial

Canal unrest
Updated 03 Apr, 2025

Canal unrest

With rising water scarcity in Indus system, it is crucial to move towards a consensus-driven policymaking process.
Iran-US tension
03 Apr, 2025

Iran-US tension

THE Trump administration’s threats aimed at Iran do not bode well for global peace, and unless Washington changes...
Flights to history
03 Apr, 2025

Flights to history

MOHENJODARO could have been the forgotten gold we desperately need. Instead, this 5,000-year-old well of antiquity ...
Eid amidst crises
Updated 31 Mar, 2025

Eid amidst crises

Until the Muslim world takes practical steps to end these atrocities, these besieged populations will see no joy.
Women’s rights
Updated 01 Apr, 2025

Women’s rights

Such judgements, and others directly impacting women’s rights should be given more airtime in media.
Not helping
Updated 02 Apr, 2025

Not helping

If it's committed to peace in Balochistan, the state must draw a line between militancy and legitimate protest.