PESHAWAR, June 1: Former finance minister Sartaj Aziz on Friday stressed the need for shifting the focus of policies and programmes from inputs to outcomes and said that physical and quality results could be achieved through effective monitoring and evaluation system.

He said that the evaluation system would provide the basis for determining whether the objectives sought had been achieved according to the acceptable standards of efficiency, adding that it would help improve the formulation and implementation of public policies.

He was addressing a day-long conference on “Policy dynamics in Pakistan and in search of new paradigm’ organised by the Sarhad University. Noted economists and university students were present.

“The greatest challenge of public policy is to minimise the gap between policy formulation and policy implementation,” Mr Aziz said, adding that before any economic, social or educational reform programme was launched it was critical to strengthen its implementation capacity.

Refuting the charges of lack of analytical work in the formulation of public policy in the country, he said Pakistan had been pursuing well thought-out strategies for economic and social development.

Mr Aziz said the country needed to work hard to develop a strong base of human resource which was necessary for a growing economy. “The resource development needs serious attention from both public and private sector institutions,” he added.

“It is now widely recognised that the basic purpose of a university is not merely the dissemination of the existing knowledge in different disciplines but to add to this store of knowledge through inquiry, research and interaction.”—APP