SOCIAL SECTOR OF PAKISTAN:

Transportation and Communication sector in Pakistan Transportation and Communication sector in Pakistan

The transport and communication are of basic importance in the development process of a country, and density of the transport network is an index to economic development. As compared with developed countries, Pakistan possesses a less developed transportation network. Government is making serious efforts to develop an efficient transport and communication network to meet the growing needs of the country. 44 percent (which includes construction sector) ... environment, transport and communications,

Importance of Transport and Communication:

1. Economic importance

It promotes the internal and external trade, utilization of natural resources, mobility of labor, reduction in unemployment, increase in agricultural production, reduction in population pressure and elimination of starvation and hunger etc.

2. Political importance

It creates the political awareness in people, maintenance of law and order in society etc. It also helps bringing out the opinion of the masses.

3. Social importance

Linkage of people develops brotherhood and sense of unity, and this can stimulate economic activity within the country. It promotes the education across the country and provides the modern information by TV, Internet, radio etc.

Transport in Pakistan 1. Road

Road transport is most popular and it carries about 90% of the total passenger traffic. The country has about 248,340 kilometers of roads, of which more than 50 percent are paved. The rest are graveled or unimproved tracks. Road traffic is increasing to nearly overwhelming proportions, with mixtures of animal carts, high-speed cars, buses, and trucks. The principal roads of Pakistan are GT (Grand Trunk) Road, Super Indus Highway (N-55), Karakoram Highway (N-35), Makran Coastal Highway (N-10) and Motorway Projects (M1, M2, M3, M8, M9).

2. Railways

Pakistan's railways cover roughly 7,791 kilometers. Most are in the Indus Valley, from Karachi to the Punjab, with a few lines into the North-West Frontier and one westward across northern Baluchistan to the Iranian border.

3. Air

Pakistan is served by numerous international airlines as well as its own Pakistan International Airlines, which provides both international and domestic service. International airports are located at Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, and Lahore. Prior to the early 1990s the domestic airline industry was regulated by the state. After deregulation, several privately owned airlines began to operate in Pakistan. PIA has made remarkable progress. It began with a fleet of 15 aircraft. By 1999-2000, it had 45 aircraft. Today, there are three private airlines operating in the country____ Shaheen, Air Blue and Aero Asia.

4. Water

Ocean shipping is extensive through Karachi, on the coast of the Arabian Sea. The city's port handles more than 95 percent of all of Pakistan's imports and exports. The city of Qasim also has a port to handle a share of the country's trade. And government is also establishing new port, Gawadar port.

Communication Communication plays an important role in the economic and cultural development of a country. Pakistan has following means of communication.

1. Postal Service

The Post office is a Federal Government entity which provides postal facilities through a network of 12828 (2178 urban and 10650 rural) post offices across the country. The department is providing various traditional postal services to the consumers at a reasonable price. It also provides the facility of life insurance, payment of military pensions, collection of motor vehicle tax, renewal of arms and driving licences etc.

2. Radio

Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) has played a pivotal role in promoting national interest by providing information, entertainment and education to audiences at home and abroad in 35 languages (19 regional, 1 sub regional, 16 foreign) from 24 Radio Stations and 5 FM Stations.

3. Television

First television station was introduced in Pakistan by a private television company, in November 26, 1964. In June 1967, it was converted into private limited company named as Pakistan Television Corporation Limited, with prime objectives to establish a Television Network in Pakistan for the provision of broadcasting news, documentaries, education and entertainment. There are two channels in the country namely PTV Home and PTV News. There are also operating 22 private TV channels across the country.

4. Telecommunication

The Telegraph and Telephone department was converted into Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation on 15th December 1990 for better telecommunication system in the country. On 1st January 1996, the corporation was recognized by establishing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the National Telecommunication Operation (NTC) and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). PTCL has issued 60,000 telephone connections to its customers. 6 Mobile companies are operating their network in Pakistan under PTA. There are at least six crore people are using mobile phone in Pakistan.

5. Information Technology (IT)

IT has assumed unprecedented importance in the global economy. Government has accorded a very high priority to this sector. IT is one of the key determinants of competitiveness and growth of economy. For promotion of IT, above than 400 cities have been provided internet facility. Pakistan has established Software Technology Park at Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. Currently, in 2006-07 Pakistan has earned 50 million dollars from software industry. The Ministry of Science and Technology has approved different projects which will be implemented in the next few years.

Pakistan enjoys good international telecommunications links via satellite. The availability of domestic telephone service improved in the 1990s as the utility was privatized. Cellular telephone service and Internet connections are

available though not widespread. Radio and television are controlled largely by the government. http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-compulsory-subjects/pakistan-affairs/12317-transportation-communication-sector-pakistan.html

Social Safety of Labour

PrefaceSince creation of Pakistan, five labour polices have been announced by the governments in the year 1955, 1959, 1969, 1972 and 2002. All these polices basically laid-down the parameters for the growth of trade unionism; the protection of workers’ rights; the settlement of industrial disputes and redressal of worker grievances. After 2002, no Labour Policy has been introduced although a number of developments took place in the intervening period, which would have necessitated the same. In this scenario the Prime Minister of Pakistan in his first speech emphasized the need to address the labour issues and announced the lifting of ban on trade unionism, repeal ofIndustrial Relations Ordinance, 2002, Removal from Service (Special Powers) Ordinance, 2000 and other anti labour laws. In pursuance of Prime Minister’s directions a new Labour Policy of the Government is placed. Of all the previous policies, the Labour Policy of 1972 taken out by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the most progressive one, which reformed the labour laws and set out new benchmarks including new administrative infrastructure to manage the workers’ welfare, viz Workers Welfare

Fund Ordinance; Employees Old-Age Benefit Act; amended Industrial Relations Ordinance with enhanced protection of workers’ rights like imposing condition on the authority of employer to terminate workers job. The scope of labour laws was enhanced and benefits such as Workers’ participation in factory management; increase in workers shares in company’s profits from 2% to 4%and then to 5%;

LABOUR POLICY 2010Social and economic well-being of the people is one of the principalObjectives of the present people’s government. Labour Policy, like policies inother fields, should also aim in attaining the objectives in a manner best suited toThe resources of the country and the present state of economy. There is anurgent need to revitalize the economy, required sustained efforts, to increase theLevel of productivity, promotion of investment and maximization of employment.There is an equally genuine requirement to create among workers andemployers, a better awareness of their obligations to the national objectivesstated above. At the same time, the Government recognizes that workers andemployers must enjoy reasonable benefits as can be sustained by the economywithout suffering set-backs. Keeping these priorities in view, the Governmentconsiders that a balanced labour policy should be based on the followingobjectives:-- Workers’ right to form unions and unions should be protected and aninstitutional framework be made available to foster close cooperationbetween workers and employers at establishment level.- Equitable adjustment of rights between workers and employers shouldbe ensured in an atmosphere of harmony, mutually beneficial to theworkers and the management.- Consultations between workers and employers on matters of interest tothe establishment and welfare of workers should be made moreEffective.- Adequate security of jobs should be available to the workers and thereshould be expeditious redressal of their grievances.- Conditions should be created that workers and employers areCommitted in enhancing the labour productivity.- Promotion to higher jobs be ensured at all levels based on suitabilityand merit and for this purpose arrangements should be made for inservicetraining facilities.- Facilities for proper matching of job opportunities and the job seekersbe strengthened and standard procedures be streamlined.- Social insurance schemes to be further strengthened.2- Just and humane conditions of work be guaranteed to all workers.- Forced labour in all its forms to be eliminated.- Provisions relating to the employment of children to be strictly adhered

to and be enforced.2. The Labour Policy has accordingly been divided into four parts, i.e.i) Legal Frame Work;ii) Advocacy: Rights of Workers and Employers;iii) Skill Development and Employment;iv) Manpower ExportRationalization and Consolidation of Labour Laws.7. The Labour Laws are quite complex, over-lapping, anomalous, andat times render the subject matter difficult to understand, besides creatingconfusion for those who deal with them. Further, the penalties prescribed foroffences and non-compliance are very low, since some of these laws wereframed during pre-independence period. The Labour Laws will be consolidatedand rationalized into five core laws, viz;i) Laws relating to industrial relations.ii) Laws relating to employment and service conditions.iii) Laws relating to occupational safety and health.iv) Laws relating to human resource development.v) Laws relating to labour welfare and social security.Universal/Voluntary Coverage8. A comprehensive Social Insurance for old-age benefits andhealth services will be introduced on self-registration/voluntary basis toallow all workers in formal and informal sector of economy, including selfemployed persons, to benefit from it.Issuance of Smart Cards9. The registration of workers will be linked with the Smart Cardsbeing issued by NADRA. All particulars of the workers with respect toname, employment history, education, skills will be placed on the Chip ofthe Smart Card. This card will also serve the purpose of registration underSocial Security, EOBI and workers Welfare Fund and will be a source ofData Bank of labour force for re-skilling of workforce with respect toenhancement of employment within the country and overseas.Wages10. The Government is committed to implement the system of minimumwage as a fundamental element of labour protection, and proposes to continuewith the existing tripartite minimum wage determination arrangements. Anindependent National Wage Commission will be set up and the government willestablish a Working Group to make detailed recommendations for the purpose ofspecific functions and operational arrangements for such a Commission,including its technical and secretarial support requirements and its relations withprovincial wage fixing authorities.411. The deliberations of the Working Group will involve closecooperation with workers’ and employers’ organizations, and will result in the

preparation of a detailed policy paper for the development and implementation ofnational wage policy, including minimum wages, in the medium to longer term.12. In line with Manifesto of the Pakistan Peoples Party the Governmentshall gradually enhance wages of the workers. The wages shall continue to bereviewed at least once in a year and minimum gross emoluments will beprogressively raised.13. The minimum wage was raised from Rs. 4600/- to Rs. 6000/- inthe year 2008, which will be further enhanced to Rs.7000/- there areincrease of about 17%.14. All industrial, commercial and other establishments registeredunder any law shall pay wages to the employees through Cheque/Banktransfer.Women Empowerment and Gender Equality15. International Labor Organization’s project Women EmploymentConcerns and Working Condition in Pakistan (WEC-PK) funded by CIDA hasbeen Implemented in collaboration of Ministry of Labour and Manpower toenhance the quality and number of women employment in Pakistan with ultimategoal of economic empowerment of women in rural and urban areas. A number ofproductive programs have been completed under this project aimed at creatingconducive working environment for women such as Sensitization and capacitybuilding of policy makers and implementing partners in public and privatesectors; Direct Assistance to Women in getting Decent Employment; PromotingGender Equality in Private Sector Employment in Pakistan; and promotingWomen's participation and Leadership in Trade Unions in Pakistan16. Another project titled “Towards Gender Parity” was initiated inJanuary 2010 in collaboration of Ministry of Labour for the period of one year.The focus of the project activities would be on capacity building of stake holderson relevant areas and International Labour Standards (ILS); Establishment ofcoordination mechanism among partners to monitor, learn and share experience;Promotion of gender- responsive data collection, analysis and reporting througha joint effort of all stake holders; strategy for gender equality in skill developmentand small and medium enterprise program; strategy for implementation ofWomen Empowerment Act; Advocacy for the implementation of national policy ofHome-based Workers and pilot activities for integration of HBWs into mainstream.5Women Workers17. Women workers will benefit from the application of ILO Conventionon Equal Remuneration, 1951 (No. 100), ratified by Pakistan in 2001. Minimumand above-minimum wages will be ensured on the basis of equal pay for equalwork, and equal pay for work of equal value, as between men and women, inaccordance with Pakistan’s obligations under ILO Conventions 100 and 111concerned with equality and non-discrimination respectively.

18. Women will also benefit from better information concerning theirworking conditions and arrangements in the informal economy, from improvedmaternity arrangements, codes of conduct relating to sexual harassment and,where possible, day care arrangements for their children.19. The Government is committed to providing women with equalopportunities for employment and will re-examine existing legislation to ensurethat women are not denied access to suitable jobs that are arising due toPakistan’s changing labour markets.Young Persons20. Workers between the ages of 14 and less than 18 years will not beengaged in hazardous working conditions and other working environments thatadversely affect their physical and moral development. They will also be providedgreater access to education and training, particularly training, tailored to identifiedlabour market needs.21. Children and young persons will be withdrawn and prevented fromhazardous nature as, for example, mining, tanneries, brick kilns, construction,and glass bangles etc. Special programmes will be designed to focus youngdomestic workers employed in private households. Payment of minimum wagewill also be ensured to the young persons.Mine Workers22. The majority of workers in Pakistan’s mining industry are employedon a contract basis, often through a somewhat complicated system of subcontractingmaking it difficult to identify the actual employer. Mine workers arecovered by special legislation that place them outside mainstream labourlegislation.623. Mine workers, whether contract or permanent, will be provided withsame protection as other workers. They will benefit from minimum wagepayments, access to social security and improved safety and health in theirworkplaces.Eradication of Bonded Labour24. The Government shall abolish bonded labour in all its forms andshall make appropriate amendments in law to make it more stringent, strictlyimplemented and safeguard the interest of workers who have hither to remainedunder forced labour.Construction Labour25. Construction industry is the back-bone of all the developmentactivities and is estimated to employ more than two million workers. Since thesector is witnessing rapid expansion, health, safety and occupational hazards inthis industry are likely to pose new challenges and problems. In order to guardagainst occupational hazards and to provide safe working conditions for thoseemployed in this vital sector of the economy, the Government shall enact suitable

legislation to ensure health and safety of construction workers and to providebenefits available to other formal sector workers such as Workmen’sCompensation, Social Security, Old-age Pension etc.Contractual Employees.26. The Government has already started the process toregularize/confirm contract employees. All contract employees in publicsector will be regularized/confirmed within shortest possible time.Child Labour27. The Government shall take legal as well as other measures toregulate and control the employment of children in certain occupations andprocesses considered hazardous and injurious to their health.Agriculture Labour28. The agriculture sector is being rapidly mechanized and requirestechnical skill. Resultantly, the unskilled workers of this sector are becoming unemployed.Moreover the labour laws are not applicable to this sector, therefore,the agriculture labour force remain deprived of the benefits available undervarious welfare legislations to their counterparts in the industrial establishments.7The Government, in the first instance, proposes to extend the coverage ofWorkmen’s Compensation Act, 1923, to provide compensation in case of injuryas well as death to workers of mechanized farms in the rural sector.Informal Economy Workers29. Extending labour protection to the country’s large and diverseinformal economy is a major challenge. The informal economy supports millionsof people across a large geographic area, undertaking a wide variety of low-paid,low-productivity jobs, under working conditions that are frequently harsh,unhealthy, and hazardous. Informal economy workers are not covered by labourlaws. Government is planning to make it mandatory for the labour administrationto take the initiative to see how it can best reach out to such workers and providethem with basic protection through the provision of advisory services, based on a‘labour extension’ approach.30. Workers in the informal economy, including home workers anddomestic workers, will benefit from improved safety and health arrangements,access to social security arrangements, and the payment of minimum wages,where an employee- employer relation is evident. The employment of childrenless than 14 years will be eliminated, and the employment of those between theages of 14 and less than 18 years will be strictly controlled, through acombination of stronger legislation and the introduction of labour extensionservices.Health and Safety31. A Tripartite Council on Health and Safety be set-up to identify healthand safety hazards for workers of all economic sectors and to make

recommendations for safety measures on a continuous basis.Pakistan Tripartite Labour Conference andStanding Labour Committees32. Industrial peace is a pre-requisite for economic development andsocial progress of any country. The necessity of enlightened and constructiveoutlook on the part of both workers and employers, which will promoteunderstanding and, obviate confrontation is, therefore, essential. The PakistanTripartite Labour Conference and Standing Labour Committee shall be activatedto play more effective role in resolving differences, if any, between workers andemployers and to create an environment of mutual trust and understanding forthe promotion of industrial peace. With a view to draw the maximum benefit outof the experience of both the workers and the employers, greater representation8shall be given to their nominees while framing new social and economic policiesof the country, particularly at the time of the framing of budget and Five YearPlans.33. Tripartite Monitoring Committees will be set up at District,Province and Federal level to monitor implementation of Labour Laws,particularly with reference to payment of wages, working environment andworking time.Expansion in Scope of Workers’ Welfare Fund:34. The scope of Workers’ Welfare Fund Ordinance, 1971 will beextended; e.g.i) Labour Colonies will be established by developing 100,000 housesfor allotment to the workers.ii) To encourage the private sector for providing housing facilities to theworkers, the cost of construction of houses for the workers shall beconsidered as direct deduction against income as an admissibleexpenditure in the year in which such costs are incurred byestablishments constructing houses for their employees.iii) Community buildings i.e. mosques, schools, dispensaries,community centers, shops and parks will be provided in labourcolonies to make them self-sufficient.iv) Scholarships will be awarded to workers’ children for higher studiese.g Ph.d, FRCS, etc and to study abroad also.v) Marriage grant for female workers and daughters of the workers willbe without any balloting and without any restriction on number @Rs, 70,000/- per female worker/daughter.vi) Two medical colleges will be established for children of workers atKarachi and Lahore. In these colleges 60% admissions will be givento the children of workers and 40% to the general public.vii) All workers registered under the universal registration schemeof the EOBI will be eligible to get benefits from the WWF.

viii) On request of an officer of the registered trade union, andsubject to recommendation of the Monitoring Committee, any9dismissed/retrenched worker will be paid legal aid subject tomaximum of Rs.15000/-.Social Security35. Provincial Employees’ Social Security Ordinance, 1965 is inoperation and covers the contingencies of employment injury, sickness andmaternity. It is financed entirely through employers’ contribution at the rate of 6percent of the wages of the secured workers up to Rs. 10,000/- p.m. The schemeis administered by the Provincial Governments.36. Though the Social Security Scheme has been in operation for manyyears, it has not achieved its full potential. Its coverage has remained almoststatic over the last more than ten years. Implementation of the scheme would beimproved and intensified by undertaking the following activities:i) Steps would be taken to adopt geographical coverage rather than bynotification of establishments.ii) The amount of death grant to meet funeral expenses of a worker willbe raised from Rs.1500 to Rs.15000.iii) Scope of social security medical services would be expanded topublic health to cover prevention of illness and promotion of goodhealth.iv) The entitlement condition for seasonal labour would be considerablyimproved.v) In cases where the social security hospital has no facilities fortreatment, the worker shall be referred to any public/privatehospital and the respective Social Security Institution will bearall costs of treatment.vi) The retired registered worker will be provided medical facilitiesfrom the Social Security Scheme.vii) The Social Security Ordinance will be suitably amended to removethe lacunas and difficulties experienced by the ProvincialGovernments.10Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Scheme37. The scheme is operated under the Employees’ Old-Age BenefitsAct, 1976 and covers establishments employing 5 or more persons. All theemployees irrespective of their wage are covered under the scheme. However,contributions by employers and benefits to the workers are payable on minimumrate of wages notified under the Minimum Wages for Unskilled WorkersOrdinance, 1962. The scheme is financed through employers’ contribution at therate of 5 percent of the minimum wages and insured persons contribution at therate of 1 percent of the minimum wages. The scheme provides Old-Age Pension,

Invalidity Pensions, and Survivors Pension (minimum Rs. 2000/- p.m.) and Old-Age Grant. It is a federally administered scheme. This scheme has also notachieved its full potential in terms of coverage of eligible establishments andemployees.38. An in-depth review of the scheme would be made and effectivemeasures would be adopted to achieve the following objectives:-i) Measures would be taken to gradually expand the coverage,including self employed persons and increase the benefits under theEOB Scheme.ii) All eligible establishments and employees would be registered andevasions would be checked through vigorous and efficientadministration of the law.iii) The Act will be made applicable to the contingent/projectemployees of such statutory bodies which are otherwiseexempted under the provisions of the Act.iv) Collection of contributions and recovery of arrears would be fullyensured through proper decentralization, regular inspection andcontinuous vigilance.v) Maintenance of accurate and up-to-date records of registration ofemployers, employees and contributions and benefit managementsystem would be ensured on computerized basis.vi) The survivors of a registered insured person under the EOB Actwill be paid Survivors Pension without any condition ofminimum insurable employment.11vii) The survivor pension shall be paid to disabled children for lifeand unmarried daughters till their marriage without anyreference to the age.viii) Pension shall be enhanced with the enhancement ofGovernment Servants Pension at the same ratio.ix) The age for entitlement of old-age pension will be reduced from55 years to 50 years in case of mine workers.x) Amendments be made in the law to remove any lacuna oradministrative problem.ADVOCACY; RIGHTS OF WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS: DECENT WORK.39. The Labour Policy envisages a harmonious working relationshipbetween workers and employers for improving the performance and efficiency ofthe industry. The rights and obligations based approach to labour issues is beingfollowed also in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic ofPakistan. In order to fulfill obligation under the Constitution as well as underinternational covenants with regard to well being and socio-economic protectionof the workers, a strategy has to be evolved and pursued in accordance with theconcept of decent work in the employment sector.

40. The economic growth is a pre-condition for expanding productiveemployment. But economic growth in itself could not reduce poverty. Onlyproductive and remunerative employment could eliminate poverty anddeprivation. Pakistan has ratified many international commitments relating tolabour standards such as 34 ILO Conventions (33 in force) which include sevenof the eight fundamental conventions encompassing freedom of association, theabolition of forced labour, equality at work, the elimination of child labour, theConvention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of AllForms of Discrimination Against Women, Universal Declaration of Human Rights,International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights , InternationalCovenant on Civil and Political Rights and Anti-Slavery Convention of the UN.The Government believes that in the light of its international commitments thestrategic goal of decent work means paying equal attention to economic andsocial development, with special attention to safeguarding the rights and interestsof the workers. The economic globalization offers new opportunities, but at thesame time it presents challenges to workers all over the world. The decent workstrategy responses to the social challenge. The decent work strategy of thecountry comprises four elements that are closely related:12• opportunities for productive, remunerative and safe work;• social protection;• respect for workers’ basic rights and interests; and• Social dialogue.41. The preliminary focus for the decent work strategy at present isemployment promotion and further improvement of the social security system.Experience has shown that rapid economic development and technologicalprogress do not automatically lead to more employment opportunities; however,individuals depend on employment opportunities to earn a living and meet theirbasic needs. The Government will insure full adherence of labour laws andworkers friendly environment in all establishments to promote decent workin the country.SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT42. The main elements of Human Resource Development andEmployment strategy are outlined below:-i) In the absence of determined measures to bring down the rate ofpopulation increase efforts to enhance employment generation areexpected to produce limited success.ii) Given the need to create 1.25 million man years of additionalemployment annually and recent declining employment elasticity, thegrowth rate of the economy need to centre around a minimum of 8.3percent per annum.iii) Primary emphasis will be on employment generation in rural areasand surrounding small towns through development of physical and

social infrastructure and rural industries.iv) Special measures will be taken to reduce unemployment among theeducated not through unproductive public sector employment inadministrative jobs but to meet real needs of the economy especiallyin the social sectors and private sector employment.v) Effort will be made to accelerate development, increase productivityof small scale/informal sector enterprises and to generate13employment in less developed regions to remove regionaldisparity .vi) Self-reliance and austerity will be taken as cardinal planks of theentire policy package.vii) A concerted effort will be made to radically improve the participationof females in income generating economic activities.viii) Well trained skilled labour force will be developed to help achievesignificant gains in productivity and efficiency primarily through theefforts of the private sector.ix) Full support will be provided to Pakistanis seeking employmentopportunities abroad and assistance in productive re-absorption ofreturning migrants.x) Opportunities for self-employment will be incurred for those witheducation, skills and entrepreneurship especially through betteraccess to credit facilities.Skill Developmenti) Particular emphasis will be given on Training of Trainers to maximizethe multiplier impact.ii) Training in para-medical services, of which presently there is anacute shortage will be increased.iii) The industrial apprenticeship schemes will be revitalized and intakewill be enhanced.iv) The production of skilled manpower for assimilation and spread ofnew modern technologies especially in the application of electronics,computers and modern production systems will be encouraged.v) Mobile training units and trade-tests (through the National TrainingBoard Skills Standard and Certification System) for those who aretrained through the informal “Ustad-Shagird” system will beintroduced.14vi) The government will encourage the involvement of private sector toorganize intensive in-plant training, actively participate in theestablishment and management of vocational training institute; andthe National Training Board will be reconstituted with a largerepresentation of the private sector.

vii) Matric Tech scheme shall be introduced in all schools run bythe Workers Welfare Fund to impart Technical Education to thestudents.viii) Increasing the proportion of workers in the labour force with higherlevels of education and skills will be encouraged. This will beachieved by complementing general school education withtechnical/vocational training and by easing the path of schoolgraduates to higher education with an emphasis on professionaltraining.ix) The government will standardize courses/curricula and ensureuniform quality control.x) The trade unions will be engaged in identifying training needs andpriorities and the management of training programmes and traininginstitutes.xi) A full-fledged Labour Market Information System shall beestablished with creation of Human Resource Center atdifferent cities.Employment43. The most challenging issue facing Pakistan today is the high rate ofgrowth of population and labour force growing at over 3 percent per annum,amongst the highest in the world. Its population has a literacy rate of less than 60percent. It possesses an insignificant base for the production of high levelscientific and middle level technical manpower, and the quality of education hasseriously deteriorated in recent years. The main objectives of the country’sLabour Policy shall be to meet the requirements of the economy, the employersand the working classes.44. In formulating a strategy to respond to these challenges thefollowing key factors are taken into account:-15i) During the past decade with an expected growth rate of the labourforce of 3.3 percent per annum, the economy is faced with theformidable task of creating 1.25 million jobs annually, if theunemployment and under-employment situation is not to worsen.ii) The problem of the educated unemployed youth is serious thusrequires special programmes.iii) Educational level and skill training of the industrial work forceremains very low.iv) Women are Pakistan’s least utilized human resource. Woman labourforce participation depicts a gloomy picture.v) The scientific manpower base in Pakistan lacks strategic depth inmeeting contemporary needs of the country. Only 20 percent of therelevant age groups pass matriculation and only a quarter of thesestudents pursue further studies in science.

vi) Labour Market Information is presently not collected in a consistentand systematic manner.vii) The global financial crisis has aggravated Pakistan’s economicdifficulties.Persons with Disabilities45. The Government will ensure the special quota for employment ofdisabled persons in all establishments in private as well as public sector. It will beensured that discrimination in any case should not be practiced in appointmentsand/or promotions of persons with disabilities. Equal status and equalopportunities will be provided to all workers including the handicapped. TheGovernment will establish complexes for education and training of disabledworkers and disabled children of workers under one roof, especially in remoteparts of the country from the Workers Welfare Fund.46. The eunuchs are the most neglected human resource segment ofthe society, subjected to humiliation and molestation. They are not exposed toeducation and instead are trained to beg, dance or forced into prostitution.Transgendered people are misunderstood and ridiculed for being born in thewrong body and are condemned to exist at the bottom rung of Pakistan’s social16ladder. Such people are even denied their right to inheritance, civil rights andregistration in the formal workforce. The Government will take cognizance andprovide them opportunities for education, job and all other facilities of socialwelfare which a common citizen is entitled to. http://www.eobi.gov.pk/announcement/labour+poilcy+2010.pdf

About ILO/ Pakistan

The International Labour Organization (ILO) was created in 1919 as a means to promote social progress and overcome social and economic conflicts of interest through dialogue and cooperation.

Its unique tripartite structure brings together workers, employers and governments and gives them an opportunity to search for common rules, policies and behaviors from which all can benefit.

The ILO is a specialized technical agency of the United Nations system and the principal centre and authority in the international system on labor and social policy. It is devoted to advancing opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.

Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues. Its 183 member States seek to ensure that International Labor Standards are respected both in principle and practice, assisted by a secretariat (the

International Labor Office) headquartered in Geneva. To date, 188 Conventions, setting out basic principles and rights at work have been drawn up by ILO constituents.The ILO Country Office for Pakistan The ILO Country Office for Pakistan was set up in 1970 in Karachi and later moved to Islamabad where it is housed in its own building on land donated by the Government of Pakistan. The ILO’s major work in Pakistan has covered a wide range of activities: promotion of International Labor Standards; prevention and elimination of child and bonded labor; job creation through employable skills; mainstreaming gender equality; strengthened labor market governance; employment and livelihoods recovery in response to conflicts and crises; expansion of social security schemes and social safety nets, especially in the informal economy and the promotion of tripartism and social dialogue.

Pakistan has been an important and active member State of the ILO since its inception in 1947, and has ratified 36 Conventions, including the eight core Conventions. Representatives of the Government, employers’, and workers’ organizations have served repeatedly on the ILO’s Governing Body over the years.

The CO-Islamabad supports the constituents in their efforts to achieve decent work and social justice in Pakistan.Four broad priority areas that emerged from the first National Plan of Action and Decent Work Country Programme and that remain relevant within the current National Plan of Action for Decent Work (NPADW, 2010 – 2015) provide the basis for the ILO’s areas of work:Labor law reform;Employment generation through human resource development, with a focus on employable skills;Social protection expansion, including in the informal economy; andTripartism and social dialogue promotion.

The ILO’s Strategic Policy Framework (2010 – 2015) and the Biennial Programme & Budget (2010-2011), adopted by the ILO’s Governing Body, provide the basis for the ILO’s programmatic and technical support over the next six years. More specifically the ILO’s current areas of work in Pakistan focus on:The application of the 36 ratified ILO Conventions (International Labor Standards);Enhancing the capacities of government, employers’ and workers’ organizations to provide institutional services and products that facilitate decent work, and especially in pursuit of equality of opportunity and non-discrimination;Enabling the labor market environment for more and better quality jobs in line with the National;Employment Policy and especially systems for the enhancement of competency-based skills for greater employability. Enhancing opportunities for green jobs is also a priority;Supporting the operationalisation of the National Policy & Plan of Action to Eliminate Child Labor and the National Policy & Plan of Action to Abolish Bonded Labor;Supporting the implementation of the National Labor Policy and other policies that promote and facilitate decent work, including the Labor Protection and Inspection

policies, the National Skills Strategy, the National Youth and Education policies and Gender Reform Action Plan;Enhancing the protection and working conditions of the more vulnerable and marginalized, and especially in the informal economy which employs the majority of non-agriculture workers in Pakistan; andEnhancing opportunities for decent work, with the requisite protections, in other countries. http://labourwatchpakistan.com/?p=490

NEW LABOUR POLICY, 2002 Policy Foundations

Fundamental rights concerning labour as laid down in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and international labour standards as enunciated in ILO Conventions ratified by Pakistan provide necessary framework for evolving a sound and stable mechanism for ensuring core labour rights. The labour laws and the system of labour administration in Pakistan will thus be brought in conformity with these standards to meet national objectives and international obligations.

Bilateralism

The traditional environment of mutual antagonism and mistrust between employers and labour has adversely affected investment, business profitability and growth, all of which are crucial elements for ensuring security of employment, decent wages and social security for the labour sector.

The government keenly feels the need to foster an employer-employee relationship based on trust and partnership. For this purpose, the Labour Policy aims to enhance the required social dialogue between the labour and employers by facilitating and nurturing bilateral mechanisms for negotiations and mutual co-operation.

The creation of WEBCOP (Workers and Employers Bilateral Council of Pakistan) by the enlightened employers and labour leaders of Pakistan is a pioneering effort, and a positive development in this respect. The government fully supports this initiative and will promote steps, which aid such efforts. The regulatory authority of the government will be exercised only when bilateral mechanisms are demonstrably unable to resolve conflicts and issues.

Consolidation of Labour Laws

The existing voluminous labour legislation is overlapping in its coverage in several areas and anomalies in definitions and scope. The variety and complexity of labour laws has contributed adversely to industrial relations system. There is, therefore, the need for rationalisation/consolidation of the existing laws. It is proposed to simplify and consolidate these laws into following six basic laws:

1. Industrial Relations Ordinance

2. Conditions of Employment Ordinance

3. Wages Ordinance

4. Human Resource Development Ordinance

5. Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance

6. Labour Welfare and Social Protection Ordinance

Social Safety Nets

Institutions responsible for social protection, social insurance and labour welfare need to be made fully autonomous and effective by restructuring their respective management boards to ensure adequate labour and employer representation and to strengthen their tripartite character. Policy-making, co-ordination, and monitoring of the functioning of these institutions will be entrusted to these tripartite boards exclusively.

Elimination of Gender Discrimination

There is a need to improve the role and contribution of women in the labour force and to provide them equal opportunities for employment. The work places will be made conducive for women workers. The principle of equal pay for work of equal value has been adopted with the ratification of ILO Convention 100, to promote gender equality in terms of the pay/wage system.

Workers' Children Education

The existing unjust two-tier system of education in the country has created a system of apartheid in society, wherein, the children of low-income groups are effectively deprived of access to good quality education thus preventing uplift of the deprived classes. Workers Welfare Funds and Education Cess Funds will be utilized to establish quality educational facilities in all district of the country for providing free education up to metric and intermediate levels to workers' children. Also, a system of merit scholarships for higher education will be put in place.

Elimination of Child Labour and Bonded Labour

Targets and activities set out in the National Policies Action Plans to Combat Child Labour (May 2000) and for Abolition of Bonded Labour (2001) need to be actively implemented. Additionally, Pakistan, by ratifying ILO Convention 182, has accepted the obligation to enhance age limit to 18 years in respect of worst forms of child labour, for entry into the labour market. Wages

45. The federal government shall review every three years minimum wages of workers in consultation with the National Tripartite Minimum Wage Council in keeping economic conditions in the field concerning equal pay for men and women for work of equal value. A fair wage and respect of male and female workers will be introduced in the law to give effect to the Convention

Occupational Safety and Health

47. The laws relating to occupational safety and health and working conditions shall be consolidated. Developments in industry and technology, a National Safety and Health Council shall be established to set OSH standards and meet the needs of the industry.

Transport Workers

49. The existing law to transport workers needs to be updated with a view to providing better transport development:

50. A human resource development programme shall be launched.

51. The law relating to apparel training, rehabilitation of disabled persons, etc., shall be consolidated and enacted as a law namely, the Human Resource Development Ordinance to meet the of new technology.

The role of Skill Development Council under the new law

52. The institutional arrangement to associate employer-workers in human resource development including planning and management through the Skill Development Councils in all the four provinces and the territory of Islamabad as employers-led autonomous organisations will be strength.

53. A comprehensive Social Insurance Scheme for old age and health benefits will be introduced on self-registration/voluntary basis to allow workers in the formal and informal sector of economy to benefit from it.

Model Schools for Workers & Children

54. Workers Model Schools (up to intermediate level) will be established in every district of the country to provide education for children of workers. These schools will be managed by independent tripartite provincial board of governors to protect them from political and bureaucratic interference.

Merit Scholarship/Stipend Scheme

55. A scholarship fund will be established to provide merit scholarships to workers' children seeking higher education. A stipend scheme for placement of workers' children in selected quality schools and colleges will also be initiated.

Welfare of Mine Workers

56. The Mines Act, 1923, and other laws relating to welfare of mine workers will be revised to provide more amenities to them. Steps will be taken to provide on-job training to these workers. EOBI, Social Security Schemes, and WWF Schemes would be extended to the mining sector to provide much needed social protection to mine workers.

Institutional improvement

57. The institutions namely Workers Welfare Fund, EOBI, and Social Security shall be re-organized and re-structured to ensure minimum administrative expenditure and maximum output and benefits for the employees. The management boards of these institutions would be re-structured to provide appropriate representation from labour and employers to strengthen their tripartite character.

Labour Welfare Measure by Employers

58. The employers of large establishments will be persuaded to evolve their own programmes for the welfare and social protection of their workers.

Inspection Services:

59. The labour inspection services in the provinces shall be reorganized and streamlined.

Labour Market Information System

60. A labour market information system for providing up to date labour force statistics and job market information shall be developed with the ILO and UNDP funding. Research and training facilities will be re-organized.-APP

.

http://www.smyaqoob.com/lab-policy.htm

http://www.pildat.org/Publicatio

Transportation

Public Transportation Planning and Policy—

Literature Review

Public Transport Planning and Policy in Pakistani Cities—Pakistan, with 155 million people, has a reasonably developed transport infrastructure.

Road transport is the backbone of Pakistan's transport system. The 9,574 km long National Highway and Motorway network - which is 3.65 percent of the total road network - carries 80 percent of Pakistan's total traffic. Over the past ten years, road traffic – both passenger and freight - has grown significantly faster than the national economy. Currently, it is accounting for 91 percent of national passenger traffic and 96 percent of freight. Port traffic in Pakistan grows at 8 percent annually in recent years. Two major ports, Port Karachi and Port Qasim, handle 95 percent of all international trade. Port Gwadar, which was inaugurated in March 2007 and is being operated by Singapore Port Authority, is aiming to develop into a central energy port in the region. 14 dry ports cater to high value external trade.

Pakistan Railways (PR) has a broad gauge system (with a small network of meter gauge in the South East). The network consists of the main North – South corridor, connecting the Karachi ports to the primary production and population centers in Pakistan. The track is in good condition with an axle-load of 23 tons and maximum permitted speeds of 100/110 kph.

There are 36 operational airports. Karachi is Pakistan's main airport but significant levels of both domestic and international cargo are also handled at Islamabad and Lahore. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the major public sector airline, though facing the competition from a few private airlines, carries approximately 70 percent of domestic passengers and almost all domestic freight traffic.

The transportation sector accounts for about 10.5 percent of the country’s GDP and 27.4 percent of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) in FY06. It provides over 6 percent of employment in the country and receives 12 to 16 percent of the annual Federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP). Government agencies dominate the sector.

Challenges

Although the sector is functional, its inefficiencies with long waiting and traveling times, high costs, and low reliability are dragging the country’s economic growth. These factors also reduce the competitiveness of the country’s exports, increase the cost of doing business in Pakistan, and constrain Pakistan's ability to integrate into global supply chains which require just-in-time delivery. The poor performance of the sector is estimated to cost the economy 4-6 percent of GDP each year.

The quality of road transport services is low . Over half the national highways network is in poor condition, and the road safety record is poor. The country’s truck fleet is mostly made up of obsolete, underpowered, and polluting vehicles, and trucks are often grossly overloaded. Truck operating speeds on the main corridors are only 40 – 50 kph for container traffic, half of the truck speeds in Europe. For trucks carrying bulk cargoes, the journeys take 3-4 times longer than in Europe.

The performance of port operations is improving, but remains insufficient for the long term. Port charges have been reduced to slightly above international average levels. With the implementation of Pakistan Customs Computerized System (PACCS), the customs clearance time has been reduced from 4-5 days to less than 24 hours in Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT). PACCS was rolled out to the three other container terminals in December 2006. The free storage period was also shortened from 7 days to 4-5 days. Yet, the Container dwell times – 5-6 days on average - are still above the international standard of 3-5 days, thus reducing the capacity of container terminals to less than their potential. In addition, the ports’ limited drafts - at 10-12 meters - keep the latest and most efficient ships from calling.

Pakistan Railways (PR) needs to take major steps to make freight services more competitive. The productivity of PR’s freight services is about 1/8 of Chinese Railways, 1/3 of Indian Railways (IR), and half of Thai Railways, a network of comparable size. In addition, PR continues to cross-subsidize passenger services from freight services, resulting in non-competitive freight rates over road transport. In contrast, China rail is 2-3 times cheaper than road. As a result, the PR has a very low and stagnant market share, carrying less than 10 percent of passenger traffic and 5 percent of freight.

Civil Aviation should increases competition and be more commercialized to boost air transportation. There are restrictions on entering the market of international and domestic air transport. The government’s close involvement prevents PIA from operating on a strictly commercial basis. All these constraints contributed to the slow growth of air transportation. The passenger volumes in terms of passenger kms were just one tenth of rail service and one hundredth of road service. During 1995 and 2005, the average growth rate of export freight by air was about 7 percent, while the growth rates of import freight by air and domestic air freight were 3.4 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively.

Key Government Initiatives

There is growing recognition within the Government of Pakistan (GOP) that the sustainability of economic growth is closely linked to the efficiency of its transport system. To support sustained growth and increase competitiveness, the GOP is taking a strategic and holistic approach to the transport sector and has launched a major initiative to improve the trade and transport logistics chain along the north-south ‘National Trade Corridor’ (NTC) linking Pakistan’s major ports in the south and south-west with its main industrial centers and neighboring countries in the north, north-west and east. Together the ports, road and railways along NTC handle 95 percent of external trade and 65 percent of total land freight serving the regions of the country which contribute 80-85 percent of GDP.

The main objective of the NTC initiative is to reduce the cost of trade and transport logistics and bring it up to international standards in order to reduce the cost of doing business in Pakistan and ultimately enhance export competitiveness and the country's industrialization. The National Trade Corridor Improvement Program (NTCIP) consists of key policy reforms along with a comprehensive investment program to be implemented over the current Medium Term Development Framework (MTDF) period – 2005-2010.

The key NTCIP policies would:Lead to modern and streamlined trade and transport logistics practices ;

Improve port efficiency, reduce the costs for port users and enhance port management accountability ;

Create a commercial and accountable environment in Pakistan Railways and increase private sector participation in operation of rail services ;

Modernize the trucking industry and reduce the cost of externalities for the country;

Sustain delivery of an efficient, safe and reliable National Highways system; and,

Promote and ensure safe, secure, economical and efficient civil aviation operations and boost air trade .

The Government is in an advanced stage of preparing a consolidated business plan for NTCIP. This plan would be the formal translation of the holistic approach decided by the Government and the single consolidated document of the reforms, the investments, the expected impacts, the resources available and financing sought. A preliminary estimate of this investment program totals US$6 billion during the next five years. http://web.worldbank.org

Public Transport in Pakistan—1947 to 1991In 1947, the railways constituted the most valuable capital asset of the country and were the only intercity public transport mode (Hasan 1998). At that time, Pakistan Railway (North Western Railway) carried the largest number of passengers in Pakistan (Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957). The First Five Year Plan (1955-60) acknowledged this fact and stated:

The backbone of [West] Pakistan’s transport system is a broad-gauge railwaynetwork. It is a system of main lines, one in each of five parallel river valleys,interlinked and stretching from the coast to Afghanistan and India’s frontiers(Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957: 485).However, the plan proposed that “in [West] Pakistan a powerful railway system and growing road transport system operate side by side and should complement each other” (Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957: 485). Accordingly, 70 per cent of the total land transport investment was made for Pakistan Railway (North Western Railway), as compared to 30 per cent for road transport during the plan period of 1955-60 (Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957). The Road Transport Board was set up to coordinate the rail and road networks with an intercity passenger ratio of 75 and 25 per cent in the favor of railway (Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957). It is important to note here that although resources were allocated in the favor of the railways, the plan proposed that the ratio of road to railway would increase to 25:75, as compared to 10:90 in 1947. Moreover, this plan did not propose any extension of the railway network. On the other hand, 1800 miles of new roads were planned to be constructed along with the improvement of 2000 miles of existing roads (Govt. of Pakistan, National Planning Board 1957).In urban areas, motorized traffic was very limited until 1947 (Qadeer 1983). For example, in the city of Lahore, homes, work places, bazaars (commercial areas), and community places were located in a mixed land use pattern within a short distance. Therefore, walking was the largest mode of transport followed by tonga (horse-drawn carriage). In spite of this fact, Omni Bus was operated in the cities of Lahore and Karachi, while tramway provided services in Karachi only (Qadeer 1983). The Omni Bus (public transport) service has been a public monopoly from the beginning of its inception and expanded both in organization and resources early1970s.In 1951, the Motor Vehicle Act 1939 was amended, and the Road Transport Board was established in Punjab. The main function of the Punjab Road Transport Board was to provide efficient, adequate, economical, and coordinated public transport services in the province. In 1957, the (West) Pakistan Road Transport Board was established according to the recommendation of the First Five Year Plan (1955-60). Accordingly, the Karachi Road Transport Corporation (KRTC) was created in 1959 to be responsible to run bus-based urban public transport in Karachi.The Second Five Year

Plan (1960-65) became the first planning document in Pakistan in which the roads sector was given priority over railways by being allocated more financial resources (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960). The perception behind this act was stated in the plan as: ‘Road transport is particularly suited to the conditions and requirements of Pakistan … the motor vehicle is more adaptable than the railways to varying degrees of traffic intensity and permits a greater degree of speed and efficiency in haulage over short distance … there is close relationship between the volume of transport and the level of economic activity because each depends upon the other (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960).Under these beliefs, the Second Five Year Plan (1960-65) had initiated a new era of road construction in Pakistan. The large cities of Pakistan were also inclined towards the construction of new roads and implementing road-based public transport. The Second Five Year Plan allocated considerable money to the [West] Pakistan Road Transport Board to introduce 500 new buses in its fleet for intercity public transport (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960). For urban transport, money was allocated to the Karachi Road Transport Corporation (KRTC) for building up a fleet of 1200 buses, procuring 700 vehicles in addition to the 500 obtained in the First Plan period(Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960). The Second Plan took an initiative to encourage the private sector to come forward and run road based publicTransport. The reason for this initiative was the rapid population growth thatResulted in a corresponding growth in the demand for public transport. Originally, the public sector had a monopoly on public transport in Pakistani cities. After the encouragement of private sector policy, private wagons started their operationsalong assigned routes to fulfill the growing demand for public transport. Initially, these services were reliable, fast, and comfortable, but they eventually became crowded and unsafe. Although many regulations existed and many promises were made over time, the situation has not been improved yet.Moreover, the Second Five Year Plan (1960-65) supported the inclusion of theKarachi Circular Railway (KCR) as the first (and last to date) rail-based urban public transport project in Pakistan (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960). The KCR was planned to serve the whole of Karachi, including the periphery of the city. It was projected as a regular, cheap, and efficient transport for the residents of Karachi (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1960). Later, some sections of the KCR were built. This service was very successful in the first 15 years; however, it started to decline due to lack of investment in the infrastructure. In city of Lahore, the Master Plan for Greater Lahore proposed a mass transit system in the form of a circular railway in 1965 to connect existing railway that passes through the city(Govt. of Punjab 1973). However, the recommendations concerning the circular railway as a mass transit system did not catch the attention of decision makers. In the early 1970s, public transport was deregulated; this allowed the private sector to compete with public-owned bus services (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 1978). However, it was observed that public-owned bus services were given priority over private operators in the allocation of routes. In 1977, the Punjab Road Transport Corporation’ (PRTC) and Punjab Urban Transport Corporation (PUTC) were established in the province of Punjab (Lahore Development Authority and World Bank/International Development Association 1980). The functions of the PRTC and PUTC were to provide an efficient, adequate, economical, and

properly coordinated system of road-based intercity and urban public transport services, respectively. PUTC was also responsible to provide bus stands; develop amenities; purchase, manufacture, maintain, and repair buses; and provide other related services in urban areas. Later, PUTC developed its own maintenance and body building workshops, central stores, offices, and a central transport training institute.Although public-owned Omni Buses were merged into PUTC, it had always been short of buses due to a lack of investment by the government and international organizations. To fulfill this deficiency, PUTC and the Volvo International Development Corporation completed a study for the Model Urban Transport System in Lahore (Volvo 1980). The PUTC-Volvo Model Transportation System project comprised transport planning, organizational restructuring, capacity building, and the provision of vehicles. This study identified different issues for an efficient bus-based public transport network in Lahore. It recommended a continuation of the mixed public and private bus system. As a result of this study, 350 Volvo buses were gifted by the Swedish government to Lahore. These buses were added to the fleet of PUTC.Although Omni Buses were merged with PUTC and the Volvo buses were introduced, PUTC did not expand its fleet as required to cope with the enlarged system of routes and growing demand in Lahore. Therefore, PUTC tried to attract private sector by starting a leased buses scheme on specific routes run and managed by the private sector (LDA 1997). However, all these efforts were not successful over time and, gradually, PUTC bus services declined. Due to lack of investment, new buses were not purchased after 1989. Therefore, the public-owned bus system in Lahore managed by PUTC collapsed after being operational for a couple of years. Finally, the government disbanded the PUTC in 1998.

Public Transport in Pakistan—1991 Onward

Public Transport in the National Transport Policy, 1991In 1991, a draft National Transport Policy was published by the National Transport Research Centre (NTRC). This policy suggested the adoption of a bus-based public transport system, as compared to a rail-based mass transit system, as the preferred urban transport model in the metropolitan cities of Pakistan (Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 1991). This approach may have been adopted due the lack of finance available from the World Bank to implement a rail-based mass transit system. However, at the same time, heavy- and light-rail-based public transport was proposed in Lahore by the technical and financial assistance of JICA (TEPA and JICA 1992).The NTRC transport policy also proposed that government responsibility should be limited to low-income groups by providing a sufficient number of subsidized public transport services (Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 1991). It was argued that the introduction of low-quality public transport in urban areas would convey a negative image of government-owned transportation, ultimately discouraging the efforts towards promoting public transport. This policy also proposed that the government should encourage the private sector to provide efficient andHigh-quality public transport services for the middle class. Several steps wereProposed to encourage the involvement of the private sector, including soft loans from banks, a reduction of custom duty, and tax incentives for the importation of vehicle spare parts.

Public Transport in the Prime Minister’s Public Transport Scheme, 1991In 1991, the Prime Minister’s Incentives Scheme to Revamp the Public Transport Scheme was initiated by the Nawaz Sharf’s government (Govt. of Pakistan, Ministry of Communication 1991). This policy included incentive packages to import taxis, buses, and mini-buses for an efficient public transport system. The incentive packages included duty free imports of taxis, buses, and mini-buses; loan arrangements from banks at a 15 per cent annual interest rate; and special registration numbers for new public transport. This policy was implemented, and the public transport fleet was upgraded. However, the policy was changed after the Nawaz government left office.Public Transport in the National Conservation Strategy (Agenda 21), 1992The National Conservation Strategy (NCS) was the first comprehensive strategy to provide a framework for addressing the specific environmental concerns of Pakistan(Govt. of Pakistan, Environment and Urban Affairs Division and International Union for Conservation of Nature 1992). The Transport sectors received very little attention in the NCS. The strategy recognized the wider ecological consequences of transport use, and particular attention was paid to energy and air pollution problems. However, the emphasis was clearly on technical solutions to solve environmental problems associated with improving the energy efficiency of motor vehicles. Although the roles of public transport and non-motorized transport in reducing the impact on the environment were acknowledged, at the same time, fuel efficient cars were promoted by providing incentives in the form of tax andcustoms duty relief. Public Transport through Community-Based Welfare Organization In 1990s, two cities of Punjab province (Faisalabad and Lahore) conducted an innovative experiment to run public transport services by creating NGOs in collaboration with local private operators (Anjum and Russell 1997; LDA 1997). Accordingly, the Faisalabad Urban Transport Society (FUTS) was created in 1994 followed by the Lahore Transport System (LTS) in 1997. The FUTS and LTS were registered with the provincial Social Welfare Department with funding arranged from private operators. These NGOs were regulated by the law of social companies and administrated by a governing body. The governing body typically comprised concerned government officers, community representatives, transporters, and bus owners. This governing body was developed on the basis of public-private-community participation to provide efficient public transport services in the city of Faisalabad and Lahore. These NGOs generated their funds through the private sector, renting existing infrastructure facilities and setting higher fares. The most interesting features of these NGOs were the setting of their own fares (without approval of the government) and enforcement. Initially, this experiment (especially in the case of FUTS) was successful in providing efficient, reliable, and decent public transport services by incorporating the private and community sectors in the decision making process. However, lack of investment by the private and public sectors in inducting new vehicles made this venture unsuccessful.The People’s Train and Awami (People’s) Bus Train Projects In 1996, under Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s Development Programme for big cities, a mass transit project was started in the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. This system was based on a rail-road mixed mode that contained an urban rail link between Rawalpindi and Islamabad connected with feeder coasters (mini buses)in Islamabad. The main objective of this service was to

reduce peak-hour traffic congestion, reduce air pollution, and make use of existing railway infrastructure(Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 1996). Initially, the train service was designed for 6,000-8,000 commuters per day. Therefore, only three train services at the frequency of 1.5 hours in the morning peak and three train services at the frequency of 3 hours in the afternoon peak were started. However, after three months of operation, these services were reduced to four train services per day. Finally, this rail-road mass transit system was shut down due to heavy financial losses. The main reasons behind its failure were inadequateservice planning, which includes the absence of feeder buses in Rawalpindi; very low frequency; lack of information about timetabling; lack of amenities on railway stations; and relatively higher fares without any time savings. Additionally, this train service caused traffic jams at the level crossing roads in Rawalpindi. A similar kind of project, the Awami (People’s) Bus Train, was started in 1989 by Ms. Bhutto’s first government in Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad (Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 1992). In this project, the National Transport Research Centre (NTRC) designed and developed a Bus Train (prime mover plus three trailers) using old discarded buses to provide high-capacity bus services at peak hours. The Awami Bus Train provided services on main corridor that had sufficient road width. Initially, this project was started in Karachi, and, after one year of operation, the Bus Train was shifted to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The Bus Train had, for the first time, introduced an imaginary bus lane on the extreme left of the road. It was estimated that the Bus Train attracted a large number of commuters in Rawalpindi and Islamabad from 1991 to 1993. This service used 45 per cent of its capacityand recovered 68 per cent of its cost from fares in two years of operation (Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 1996). However, this service was shut down due to lack of interest from the government in providing public transport servicesPublic Transport in the National Integrated Transport Policy, 1998In 1998, the Ministry of Communications gave the mandate to the CharteredInstitute of Transport (now Chartered Institute of Logistic and Transport - CILT) for preparing a draft National Integrated Transport Policy’ (CILT 1998). This policy emphasized land use and transport integration to reduce the need to travel land to maximize the accessibility of public transport. However, the policy also suggested a zoning plan for different land uses with reservation of land for future urban transport infrastructure. It is now widely accepted that land use planning based on separated zones will generate more travel and reduce the viability of public transport. Public Transport in the Transport Sector Development Initiative (TSDI), 1999 The Transport Sector Development Initiative (TSDI) was a joint effort among the Government of Pakistan, international development institutions (especially the World Bank), and the private sector to collectively develop a comprehensive transportation policy (TSDI 2001). The TSDI policies were heavily framed by aperception that privatization and deregulation of public transport would bringabout more efficient and cost effective transport. In relation to privatization, the document states, ”each mode should be developed according to the guidance of market forces … the private sector should be encouraged to play its part in public transport … a common platform of public and private sector should be established to discuss issues

regarding different modes of transport … existing laws and tax duties should be modified in favor of privatization” (TSDI 2001). It is noted that the emphasis on privatization has been found in all transport documents prepared with the collaboration of international development institutions. Later, these policies and recommendations were reproduced by the NTRC transport policy in 2001.Public Transport in the National Transport Strategy, 1999 In 1999, the National Transport Strategy was developed by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA), under the Federal Ministry of Industries and Production (Govt. of Pakistan, SMEDA 1999). In the presence of different transport ministries, the SMEDA national transport strategy showed the Nawaz government’s intention to attract private investment to the road transport sector. This strategy was approved quickly by the federal government in 1999. It should be noted that all other transport documents were draft policy documents and not formally approved by the government. Although the strategy is called the National Transport Strategy, it merely focused on the introduction of buses as the mode of urban public transport. Therefore, an institutional reform package for government organizations that enabled them to attract private investment in bus-based urban public transport was proposed.Accordingly, a franchise system of bus operation was introduced to run bus-based public transport. Therefore, favorable policies, tax incentives, and regulations wereformulated to attract the private sector to invest in the franchise system of public transport. Government also encouraged commercial institutions and banks to cooperate with private investors to help the franchise system succeed. At the same time, a SMEDA-type of a bus-based public transport policy on a franchise basis was introduced by the provincial (Punjab) Transport Department with the help of the World Bank (Meakin 1998). The goal was to phase out the aged public transport vehicles by introducing a regulated bus system owned and operated by the corporate private sector on the basis of route franchises (Govt. of Punjab 1998). The main role of government was the regulation of services; operational aspects were left to the private sector. Under this new policy, the government provided a package of incentives to attract private investment. These incentives consisted of a subsidy on the interest of loans, exemption of customs duty on theimport of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and diesel buses, and subsidized lease of depots. In response to this policy, corporate private sectors introduced new buses on dedicated routes in various cities of Punjab. The policy was widely appreciated by public transport users due to the improved quality of public transport. Initially, this policy made a significant difference in the quality of public transport but started to decline due to lack of investment by the private sector. Over time, it was realized that the lack of institutional capacity in the government meant that it was not able to play an effective role in attracting private investment and managing and solving conflicts of franchised bus operations. As a result, the public transport franchising operations in the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad ended in early 2000.

Public Transport Policies in 2000sIn 2000s, the federal Planning Commission prepared a draft Transport Policythrough an in-house process (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 2000). This document also presented a bus-based public transport system as the transport solution for metropolitan cities in Pakistan. The policy was the first to propose reserving special bus lanes at grade or grade-separated road infrastructure. The policy encouraged revitalization of the KCR as an urban rail line; the KCR had been abandoned in the late 1990s. This policy also encouraged the private sector to operate public transport.The Ten Year Perspective Development Plan and a Medium Term Development Framework (MTDF) were prepared by the Planning Commission to be implementedBetween 2001 and 2011. The MTDF stated that the “development of anefficient public transport system primarily based on buses needs to be linked to mass transit systems, with light rail as an option” (Govt. of Pakistan, Planning Commission 2005). However, no money has yet been allocated for the recommended public transport system.

Franchised Bus in LahoreThe latest effort to formulate a National Transport Policy was initiated at the end of 2003, through technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB and Govt. of Pakistan, NTRC 2003). Stage one of the assistance appeared in the form of a report, “Assessment of Critical Current Transport Sector Needs,” prepared by international

consultants appointed by the ADB. However, this document was silent on the assessment and development of public transport in Pakistani cities. Stage two of the technical assistance, which will mainly contain sub-sector policy statements, has not yet been completed. In early 2000, the Integrated Master Plan (2001-2021) was prepared in Lahore to guide future development (LDA 2004a). Like all previous Master Plans prepared for Lahore, this plan favored the urban road network and ignored the potential of developing public transport. Accordingly, the first five-year program for transportation development in Lahore proposed to include 94.8 percent of funding for road development, management, and maintenance and only 5.2 percent for a public transport terminal (LDA, 2004a). Clearly the plan is a road development plan, not, as it is called, a comprehensive transport plan.In 2005, the Government of the Punjab, Transport Department, commissioned MVA Asia Ltd (international consultants) to develop a network for a mass transit system (Govt. of Punjab, Transport Department 2006). The study recommended a rail-based four-line network called the Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System (LRMTS).This rail system was proposed on the assumption that air-conditioned franchised buses introduced in the past became successful due to the rising income of the growing population. Therefore, people were willing to pay for a better service. However, no evidence was provided in support of this argument. In 2005, the Government of Punjab prepared a Medium Term Development Framework to be implemented in 2006 to 2009. Under this framework, urban development policy objectives encompassed the establishment of an Urban Commission for preparing a comprehensive urban policy. It was proposed that a Provincial Urban Transport Policy (PUTP) would be developed to guide the futureComprehensive Urban Transport Strategy for Lahore. This strategy will be a part of the proposed Lahore City Development Strategy, which would be prepared with the technical and financial assistance of Cities Alliance. The Alliance supported cities in preparing city development strategies that “link the process by which local stakeholders define their vision for their city and its economic growth, environmental and poverty reduction objectives, with clear priorities for actions and investments” (Cities Alliance 2006: 1). The strategy would be implemented by the proposed Punjab Large Cities Development Policy Loan (DPL), with technical and financial assistance from the World Bank (World Bank 2006). The objectives of the proposed DPL project complement city development strategies to promote economic growth in the major cities of Punjab. This growth would be achieved through metropolitan level strategic planning, integrated infrastructure investment programs, and efficient urban service delivery. The improvement of urban transport is one of the key areas in the project. This historical review shows that a number of policy documents were produced at the national, provincial, and local levels that addressed public transport directly or indirectly in Pakistan. These policy documents consistently affirmed the need for the development of publics transport. Reasons why this development has not happened will be discussed in the next section.

Lack of Capacity among Public Transport OrganizationsKennedy et al. (2005), in their article ‘”The Four Pillars of Sustainable Urban Transportation, “reviewed the factors contributing to best practice in urban transport.

They concluded that adequate finance, infrastructure, and urban planning are important for public transport planning, but the critical requirement is effective governance. Effective governance included appropriate organizations with the necessary powers, skills, finance, and responsibilities for public transport planning. These characteristics of governance were not present in public transport organizations in Pakistan. These organizations have a long history of deficiency in professional,Administrative and financial capacity to manage public transport servicePlanning (Imran 2006; Haider and Badami 2007).

Transport and Communications: Road TransportRoads are the most important segment of Pakistan’s transport sector. Roads carry over 96 percent of inland freight and 92 percent of passenger traffic and are undoubtedly the backbone of the economy. The current road network is about 260,000 kms catering to eleven million vehicles of all types. -a: National Highway AuthorityThe NHA road network is around 12,000 kms, which is merely 4.6 percent of the overall road network but it takes 80 percent of Pakistan’s commercial traffic. Despite overall budgetary constraints during the fiscal year, and the effects of heavy floods in 2010 and law and order challenges NHA performed well. This performance in terms,of NHA projects is summarizeda. Completed ProjectsNHA has completed 12 projects of flyovers bridges, interchanges and road up gradation during the last one year at a cost of Rs 19.6 billion.b. Ongoing ProjectsAt present, 46 development projects on roads covering 2,985 kms are ongoing at a cost Rs 245 billion in different sections/packages. These projects include construction of roads, river bridges, tunnels, flyovers, interchanges.

D.New Development ProjectsDuring the financial year, NHA has launched/ awarded 16 new development projects covering a length of above 500 kms including construction of a number of bridges, flyovers and interchanges costing Rs. 70,951 million. NHA is simultaneously constructing 12 bridges across the rivers. These are; on river Chenab 4, on rivers Sutlej 2, on river Swan 1 and on river Indus 5. Pakistan RailwaysAn effective railway system of the country facilitates commerce and trade, reduces transportation cost and promotes rural development and national integration. Pakistan Railways has entered into the Public-Private Partnership business in; Passenger Trains, Rehabilitation of Locomotives, Management Operation of Terminal Facilities including Dry Ports. The Ministry of Railways has also adopted a“Track Access Policy” for private sector participation to operate freight and passenger trains on Pakistan RailwaysInfrastructure. The Ministry of Railways is also in process of allowing private sector to operate on Pakistan Railways network under Public Private Partnership (PPP) frame Work. The Ministry of Railways has also created a “Real Estate Development and Marketing Company” as subsidiary of Ministry of Railways. The company will manage to commercialize the surplus lands of Pakistan Railways in order to overcome its financial challenges. In addition to the above, six Factories including Locomotive Factory Risalpur, Carriage Factory Islamabad, and four Concrete Sleeper Factories in Kohat, Khanewal, Sukkur and Kotri, are being corporatized for eventual privatization subject to approval of the government..

Research papers

CommunicationsThe 21st century can safely be named the IT Century as no institution can run without the help of IT in the future. The advancement of IT has brought enormous benefits to individuals, businesses and organization. The world has developed into an information economy and the application of new technologies has become the centerpiece of activities. Rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and its adoption is now a prerequisite for making national progress in the economy and in daily life as well. Modernization and development of telecom infrastructure has been correlated with increase in economic activities. The Information Technology (IT) revolution is probably the most important force shaping communities today.

Environment

DefinitionThe surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.

The setting or conditions in which a particular activity is carried on.

EnvironmentA healthy and safe environment is a much cherished public good of every society as it enables people to lead healthy lives and thus contribute to productivity. The significance of environment was admitted explicitly and internationally at the UN Millennium Declaration 2000. MDG No.7 explicitly makes ensuring environmental sustainability one of the goals developing nations must achieve until 2015. Since then the efforts to provide safe and healthy environment have got special focus of the government. Pakistan has taken some steps towards addressing environmental issues moreEffectively, the most significant of which was the making of the National Environmental Policy in 2005. However despite this development, Pakistan’s environmental indicators remain dismal.According to the Pakistan Millennium Development Goals Report 2005 Pakistan’s forest cover has not changed from 4.1 million hectares since 1990. Pakistan’s forests also face the threat of rapid deforestation and the main reason for this trend is the rise in demand of wood for fuel amongst poorer people and an intense commercial clearing of forests. Air pollution has also worsened in Pakistan because of a sharp increase in vehicles since 1990.22 However, this has now been matched by a rise in the number of vehicles consuming CNG, from 280,000 in 2001 to 700,000 by March 2005.23 Efforts have also been made by the government to settle people living in slum areas and about 60 percent of them have been regularized.24 The root cause of environmental problems in Pakistan is a growing population, increasing rural-urbanmigration and a lack of awareness. These issues can only be resolved if the government prioritizes environment and increases its budgetary allocation25 for the environment in the MTDF from the present minimal levels. A greater budgetary allocation along with the recently promulgated strategies of Clean Drinking Water for All, National Drinking Water and Sanitation Policy as well as promotion of CNG as vehicle fuel can put Pakistan on the path to environmental sustainability. At present, meeting the goals of increased forest cover and energy savings per unit of consumption seem difficult in the medium term because of Pakistan’s climate, rising population pressures and past negative trends. The MDG targets for clean potable water and sanitation (see) depend on the success of the government’s plan to provide clean drinking water to all and at present seems a great challenge. However plans to regularize most slum areas in line with MDG targets is likely to be successful.