ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday unanimously decided to ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider his decision regarding the abolition of the Public Works Department (PWD), claiming that the decision may have serious consequences for the delivery of key infrastructure projects.

The PWD, a department in the housing ministry, was abolished last year by the prime minister due to its poor performance.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Housing and Works, which met under the chairmanship of MNA Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri at the housing ministry, agreed to request the PM to reconsider the decision.

During the meeting, the ministry’s secretary briefed the committee on budgetary proposals for the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) 2024-25. He informed that the Ministry of Housing and Works oversees 162 PSDP projects, with a total cost of Rs100.706 billion. As of June 2024, the ministry spent Rs48.463 billion through PWD.

Housing committee says closure may affect delivery of key infrastructure projects

After the PWD was abolished, these projects were transferred to provincial departments, the CDA in Islamabad, and the Pakistan Infrastructure Development Co (PIDCL).

Moreover, the committee was told that the transfer of funds to these agencies has yet to materialise due to the non-opening of assignment accounts by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and PIDCL.

The committee member said that this decision not only affected the PWD employees but may also have serious consequences for the delivery of key infrastructure projects.

The committee unanimously agreed to request the premier, asking him to review the decision.

The committee recommended that finances should be made available to all ongoing development projects, whether under the PSDP or SAP schemes and be completed on a priority basis.

The committee members said that these projects were “crucial for the progress” of national infrastructure, and halting them could result in a significant loss of money and resources.

Meanwhile, the director general of the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) provided an update regarding the allotment of plots to journalists. The DG informed that plots were being allotted to journalists based on recommendations received from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The meeting was attended by the housing minister, Riaz Hussain Pirzad; MNAs Anjum Aqeel Khan, Anwarul Haq Chaudhry, Syed Samiul Hassan Gilani, Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, Nelson Azeem, Dr Darshan, Usman Ali, Mehboob Shah, Zubair Khan Wazir, and Muhammad Shabir Ali Qureshi; Hassaan Sabir (via Zoom); and others.

In June last year, PM Shehbaz issued directives to shut down the PWD during a meeting held on reducing government expenditures. During the meeting, the prime minister had observed that the PWD as a department had failed to achieve its objectives and asked for alternate mechanisms for the development projects that were tasked to this department.

In a tweet, the PM had said, “My decision to abolish Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD) is a step towards removing the rot that is eating our system like a cancer from within.”

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2025