Dr Sadiq Ali has more than 30 years of experience in civil engineering and infrastructure projects. He was the site engineer on his first project for constructing a 30 KM patch of National Highway in 1982. He's also taught mechanical technology at various universities.
In this episode of our interview video series, Inflection Point, we will decode the current privatization policy of Pakistan in which the government has agreed to sell State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to address the debt crises. Our guest for today is Dr. Sadiq Ali, an accomplished scholar who has done extensive work in infrastructure planning and management of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) like Pakistan Railways.
Dr. Sadiq discusses how privatization policies have been used by politicians to take control of public assets for personal gain. He highlights the negative impact of early nationalization policies in Pakistan and the subsequent problems with privatization. According to him, the privatization policy is marred with corruption and malice which will increase the national debt and drain its resources. He offers a unique and innovative solution to make SOEs profitable and financially viable without selling them to private owners.
He believes in the power of public-private partnership as well as inviting private corporations to offer public goods like buses and trains. He argues that his solution will bring merit, efficiency, and fiscal sustainability to the SOEs and will reduce the national debt crises without compromising strategic national assets.
Don’t miss out on this compelling discussion that challenges conventional wisdom and offers a path forward for sustainable development.
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