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Increasing circular debt
The World Bank’s report highlights a substantial rise in circular debt within Pakistan’s energy sector, reaching 5.5 trillion rupees. This surge stems from increased theft, billing defaults and energy price hikes coupled with high subsidies. Inefficiencies, structural problems and poor planning exacerbate deficits and reliability issues. Notably, Pakistan’s energy subsidies, par-ticularly for electricity consumption, are among South Asia’s highest.
The circular debt problem of Pakistan is further worsened by logistical issues such as theft, poor infra-structure and inefficiencies within state-owned electricity distribution companies such as outdated metering practices.
This increases the operational costs of these companies, undermining the revenue collection ef-forts. Similarly, the gas sector of the country is also un-dergoing some challenges. The circular debt, in this case, is rising due to the delays in tariff adjustments and the diversion of expensive RLNG to domestic con-sumers during winter.
It is important to understand that while subsidies provide relief to consumers, they often lead to distorted market dynamics. It is important to rationalize subsidies for aligning tariff structures with the true cost of energy supply.
A gradual approach must be taken towards subsidy reform, as by removing subsidies abruptly the economic state of a country may be disrupted. Moreover, to address the issues in the gas sector, the de-pendence of the state on imported fossil fuels must be reduced.
Alternative sources of renewable energy must be explored. There is a lot of untapped po-tential in Paki-stan in hydro, solar and wind power and it is important to tap into these re-sources to avoid reliance on ex-ternal assistance and imports. Pakistan must address these sys-temic issues and take strong measures to miti-gate the increasing circular debt in its energy sectors. By upgrading infrastructure, implementing modern metering technologies, improving governance and accountability, nabbing corrupt officials in power compa-nies and cracking down on illegal activities, Pakistan can cater to these issues effectively.
QAZI JAMSHED SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Maternal Challenges
The national healthcare system in Pakistan, especially in rural areas, grapples with significant challenges, particularly concerning maternal health during pregnancy and childbirth. Among these challenges, the preva-lence of high mortality rates linked to caesarean sections (CS) stands out as a pressing concern, particularly among rural women. Inadequate healthcare fa-cilities in rural regions often lead to complications during CS procedures, compelling women to seek care in urban settings, often with dire consequences. Despite the global rise in CS rates, Pakistan’s healthcare infrastructure is ill-prepared to handle such cases, resulting in reli-ance on potentially substandard private hospitals.
To effectively address these critical issues, the government must undertake comprehensive measures to investigate and tackle underlying causes, prioritizing the enhancement of health-care quality in rural areas, implementing measures to prevent unqualified personnel from conducting complex procedures like CS, and ensuring the safety of women during childbirth. By focusing on improving healthcare infrastructure and im-plementing stringent regulations, authorities can effectively mitigate maternal health risks and enhance the overall wellbeing of women across the country.
Addressing the challenges surrounding maternal health in rural Pakistan requires concerted efforts from government authorities and healthcare stakeholders, prioritiz-ing improvements in healthcare infrastructure, enforcing regulations, and enhancing the quality of care pro-vided to significantly reduce maternal mortality rates and improve health outcomes for rural women.
TURBAT RAFIQ
Turbat
Show sportsman spirit
The change of captain in the Pakistani team is a quite effective step for Pakistan’s cricket fu-ture. I think we all witnessed the captaincy of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masud; whose teams were consecutively losing matches.
It was high time for the PCB to change the captain immediately, and if Babar Azam became captain again, then everyone should accept it with-out passing any unpleasant remarks.
No doubt Shaheen Shah Afridi is a fantastic bowler, but how Lahore Qalander white-washed in PSL sea-son 9 was not only upsetting, but it also created history for Lahore Qalander against zero wins. Many had made captains, many removed.
I think the former cap-tain should show some sportsmanship and accept Ba-bar Azam as a new captain.
AREEBA ALTAF
Larkana
