Transportation Issues Confronting Pakistan
By: Khawaja Raffat Zaheer

Transport is the backbone of the economy of any country. Transport infrastructure represents, if not the engine, then the wheels of economic activity. No country can make significant progress without an adequate transport infrastructure. Investment and management of transport infrastructure and the role of the State in this sphere needs to be carefully examined and tailored to meet the specific requirement of each country. In a developing country like Pakistan, transport needs heavy investment for expansion, technological upgrading and replacement of over aged assets. Transport infrastructure should be managed like a business. To achieve this we need to remove the control and hold over financial and management decision making from the hands of the bureaucracy. The control of politicians, government departments and ministries must be loosened. 

Apart from the importance of transport for national development and economic progress, movement of people and goods in the modern world has become a highly specialized subject. It is therefore necessary that a clearly laid out National Transport Policy should be enunciated by the Federal Government as early as possible, so that Pakistan enters the twenty-first century with a clear cut perception of the National Transport Plan. In the absence of a transport policy, the progress of transport during the last 50 years has been haphazard, erratic and imbalanced. With a clearly enunciated Integrated Transport Policy, Pakistan has the potential to accelerate the pace of its progress and make up for valuable time lost. 

The following points must be kept in mind when enunciating the
National Transport Policy:-

• Transport is complex not only in terms of its technology but also in its operational characteristics, further complicated by joint operation by private and public sector enterprises, which gives rise to a multitude of problems. It is therefore important to identify the root cause of the problem and focus on alleviating the major difficulties.
• Transport is a highly technical field, which requires expertise, adequate experience and professionalism. 
• The policy must have a strong scientific bias which should be tempered with political realities and popular public sentiment. It should be consistent, politically acceptable and realistic within the framework of the available resources. It should be in line with the socio-economic conditions prevailing in Pakistan. 
• Since transport is on the Concurrent List of Pakistan's Constitution, implementation of road transport policy should be
  decentralized to the Provinces. 
• Transport infrastructure is highly capital intensive and requires huge investment built up over decades. Stress should be put on achieving maximum benefits form investments made in these projects which have long gestation periods (7-10 years).
• The goal must be to run the entire integrated transport system and each individual transport mode with the utmost efficiency and economy. 
• Deregulation of the industry is necessary to harness the full potential of the private sector in providing a dynamic, competitive and efficient system. 
• Privatization must be an essential element of transport policy.
• The transport sector by virtue of its very nature is fragmented. It is therefore necessary to ensure maximum
  coordination, not only within the individual mode but also amongst the various transport modes. 
• For providing quality transportation services the system must be self-sustaining and the user must pay the full cost of
  the transportation service. 
• Environmental aspect needs a high priority in framing the national transport policy. 

The National Transport Policy laid down by the Government of Pakistan has to be given a practical shape and implemented as a part of the National Development Plan framed on a Five Years basis. The implementing agencies may be either at the
governmental level (Federal, Provincial or Local Bodies) or under the private sector. In the context of the present
international trend towards privatization and de-regulation, bulk of the implementation for different modes of the transport will have to be under-taken by the private sector. 

It is imperative that an integrated transport policy must be evolved otherwise disintegration of individual modes may take
place. 

The policy for different modes of transport should be enunciated under the following heads:-

a) Common Policy Matters for transport sectors as a whole
b) Roads and road Transport
c) Railways 
d) Maritime Transport including Ports and Shipping 
e) Aviation including Air Transport (Airlines) and ground facilities

Common Policy Matters:-

1- All modes of transport have a role to play in movement of people and goods. A common transport policy applicable to all modes is to move people and goods efficiently, economically and safely in an environmentally sustainable framework. 
2- Development of all modes of transport should be under a fair and impartial regime. 
3- The implementation of the policy should recognize and preserve inherent advantages of each mode. Further it should be guided by market forces and ensure fair wages as well as equitable working conditions. 
4- The major objectives of the Integrated Transport Policy should be to meet the commercial needs of Pakistan, and
encourage tourism. The dictates of the national defense and emergencies should be kept in mind.
5- Transport as a whole be declared an "Industry" provided with all the freedoms and privileges which accrue to an industry. 
6- Transport should be placed under one Ministry to ensure a coordinated and cost effective development of all the modes according to their inherent advantages and disadvantages. 
7- Transport infrastructure should be subscribed to by the private sector in addition to public sector. To ensure public
sector elements of transport industry to be competitive they should be given full commercial freedom and not be subjected to red tape and governmental interference. 
8- Without financial provision, transport policy can not be implemented. It is therefore imperative that adequate financial
allocation must be for each mode by the public or private sector. Financing of transport infrastructure may have to be
made on a BOT, BOO or BOOT basis.

The principal aim of the National Integrated Transport Policy should be to provide Pakistan with the framework for building a modern integrated transport system which will assist the nation's march towards progress and prosperity in the twenty-first century.

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