Why Pakistan cannot grow

For decades, Pakistan has struggled with economic instability, chronic debt, infrastructural decay, and stagnant growth. Analysts often point to corruption, mismanagement, and external pressures as the main culprits. Yet these explanations only skim the surface.

The deeper, rarely examined cause of Pakistan’s economic paralysis lies in the systematic dismantling of the engineering profession—an assault carried out through political interference, bureaucratic overreach, and the relentless pursuit of personal gain. The very people responsible for safeguarding national development have, instead, turned engineers into hostages of their own greed for power, postings, and financial rewards. Without freeing engineering from this grip, Pakistan’s economic future will remain bleak, regardless of how many reform packages the IMF or World Bank devise.

The contrast between how Pakistani leaders treat their own health and how they treat the country’s economic health reveals a painful hypocrisy. When faced with personal medical issues, politicians and bureaucrats do not take risks. They seek top physicians, world-renowned surgeons, and elite hospitals abroad—in the United States, or Europe, regardless of cost. They demand accurate diagnostics, cutting-edge treatment, and strict adherence to international clinical protocols. They do not self-diagnose, nor do they permit discussions about their medical tests on talk shows. Their health is a private matter, carefully guarded and entrusted only to credentialed experts.

Yet, when the “health” of Pakistan’s economy is at stake—a far more complex and consequential matter—these same individuals suddenly behave like professional engineers. On nightly television debates, one can watch ill-informed politicians, diplomats, and bureaucrats discussing technical subjects like circular debt dynamics, water infrastructure failures, dam design complexities, flood mitigation measures, hydropower specifications, and structural safety standards. These topics demand years of scientific training and professional expertise, yet they are openly discussed by people who lack even a basic engineering background. It is a tragic national irony: those who would never allow a non-doctor to interpret their personal medical reports readily dictate engineering decisions that determine the fate of 250 million people.

This behaviour is not simply embarrassing; it is catastrophic. Around the world, economic growth depends fundamentally on the integrity and independence of engineering institutions. Engineers are the minds who translate national vision into reality. They design energy systems, water networks, transportation corridors, industrial plants, and digital infrastructure. Their work shapes cities, supports industries, and prevents disasters. When engineers lose autonomy, the entire development process collapses.

Pakistan’s decline began when the engineering profession was stripped of its independence and placed under political control. The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), established in 1976 to regulate professional standards and protect engineering integrity, was gradually transformed into a political tool. Chairmen were appointed not for their credentials or contributions, but for their political loyalty. This process—unheard of in the vast majority of 193 nations—corroded engineering governance from within. PEC, which should have been a guardian of quality, ethics, and long-term national interests, became a bargaining chip in political negotiations.

Compromising engineering autonomy has had dire consequences for economic performance. In internationally accepted practice, infrastructure and construction works are governed by FIDIC standards, wherein the “Engineer” plays a neutral and authoritative role. Under FIDIC, no president, court, or minister may alter a design or specification unless a qualified panel of engineers demonstrates a technical flaw. This system ensures objectivity and shields technical decisions from political manipulation.

Pakistan disregarded this foundational principle. Throughout the country’s infrastructure planning and development processes, bureaucrats and politicians routinely override technical evaluations, modify project specifications, and force premature approvals. Engineering feasibility studies are ignored, cost estimates are manipulated, and timelines are distorted to accommodate political interests. Engineers who resist are sidelined, transferred, or threatened. Those who comply are rewarded with promotions and lucrative posts. As a result, projects become vehicles of corruption rather than instruments of national progress.

This culture has crippled the engineering functions necessary for economic development. Research—already underfunded—receives little respect or application. Development and prototyping are overshadowed by shortcuts and cost-saving schemes that compromise safety and performance. Design work is often tampered with by non-experts, forcing professionals to sign documents under pressure. Construction practices suffer from poor-quality materials, politically appointed contractors, and token oversight. Even the operation and management of critical systems are politicized, resulting in disruptions across power grids, irrigation networks, and communication structures.

Pakistan’s economic collapse is therefore not an abstract problem—it is the direct result of undermining the technical backbone of the state. When engineers cannot work independently, corruption thrives. When corruption thrives, infrastructure fails. And when infrastructure fails, growth becomes impossible.

This is particularly tragic given Pakistan’s historical engineering heritage. From the meticulously planned cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation, equipped with advanced drainage systems and robust structural designs, to centuries of architectural masterpieces across the region, engineering excellence has long been part of this land’s identity. Even today, Pakistani engineers possess remarkable expertise, creativity, and resilience—qualities that could drive national reconstruction if allowed to function freely.

In modern contexts, engineers remain critical to development. They design bridges and highways that connect markets, energy systems that power industries, water infrastructure that sustains agriculture, and housing that supports expanding cities. With Pakistan facing rapid urbanization, climate vulnerabilities, and a population projected to exceed 400 million by 2050, engineering solutions are more crucial than ever. Prefabrication, modular construction, smart-city technologies, and climate-resilient planning are essential tools that Pakistani engineers are fully capable of deploying—if allowed to lead without interference.

Yet, the engineering profession remains shackled. PEC’s compromise has reduced engineers to passive participants in projects they should lead. Until PEC is rebuilt as a credible, autonomous institution—protected from political influence—the cycle of failure will continue. Pakistan will remain economically fragile, internationally marginalized, and trapped in a perpetual crisis of incompetence and corruption.

For the IMF and World Bank, this reality must be a central consideration. No economic reform plan can succeed unless engineering governance is restored. Fiscal discipline, anti-corruption measures, and privatization strategies will continue to falter if infrastructure development remains controlled by unqualified, self-serving actors. Pakistan does not merely need financial support—it needs structural reform that reinstates professional autonomy for engineers.

Pakistan stands today like a patient whose critical illness is being treated by untrained individuals while qualified doctors are pushed aside. As long as non-professionals dictate engineering decisions, Pakistan will remain in darkness—a troubled, headache-inducing member of the global community, struggling but never healing.

True recovery begins when engineers are finally allowed to do what they were trained to do: build the nation with skill, integrity, and independence.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025