1. Misleading and wrong!
Neither is the Peshawar BRT anywhere near Rs. 90 bln; nor is the comparison with other BRT projects correct.
The equivalent cost of the BRT corridor is actually Rs 3 bln cheaper than Lahore, even without factoring in the time value of money.
2. The comparison with other BRT projects is also misleading. The Peshawar BRT is the first 3rd generation BRT project in Pakistan with 8 off corridor routes covering the length & breadth of the city; worth looking at a comparison of features for the four projects.
3. Peshawar BRT corridor cost is comparable with Lahore despite 13 km of elevated build vs. 9 km, & 3 km of underpasses.
Comparing in USD at the exchange rate of the day, to factor in the time value of money, BRT corridor comes in at $204 mln vs. $320 mln for the Lahore metro.
4. Why the cost of the BRT project is greater if the corridor has been built for less than Rs 30 bln?
Additional cost is for procurement of buses, commercial buildings, feeder routes, a state of the art ITS system for ticketing; all features making Peshawar BRT more sustainable.
5. Does this mean everything was executed perfectly? Absolutely not, much could be improved. Complex projects the world over have challenges.
At this stage though, our first priority is not to stall the project for inquiries, but to complete it asap & ensure smooth operations.
6. Once operational, let any inquiry determine where the project was not managed well enough and who should be accountable for any mistakes made.
CM @IMMahmoodKhan has himself said so on a number of times.
7. There is a saying about people in glass houses not throwing stones though...
Take the New Islamabad Airport, where cost escalated by over 170%, from Rs 37 bln to Rs 100+ bln, and five years of repeated missed promised and deadlines plagued a project critical for the country.
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1. CM @IMMahmoodKhan & GoKP fulfilling one of its most significant promises:
Universal Health Insurance - launched by PM @ImranKhanPTI
tomorrow.
KP will be the first province in Pakistan where every citizen; almost 40,000,000 people have govt sponsored basic health insurance.
2. There is a big difference between health coverage, & health coverage for every citizen.
Universal health coverage is not just be an extension of an old programme, but a new vision.
This is a realisation of the PM's vision of transforming Pakistan into a welfare state.
3. The commitment to this bold vision was made by CM @IMMahmoodKhan over a year ago, and in that time, a lot of work has gone into finding the financing, running a new procurement, & getting ready for launch.
Proud that KP is translating the PM's vision into reality.
1. An incredibly important topic flagged by @hasaankhawar. Without fixing Pakistan's pensions structure & it's funding, civil servants of today will impair the State's ability to pay their pensions when they retire.
India fixed this issue 15 years ago. tribune.com.pk/story/2252564/…
2. The scale of the issue. KP's pension bill used to be less than Rs. 1 bln & less than 1% of the budget, just fifteen years ago. Yearly growth of 20% plus means last year, KP paid Rs. 70+ bln in pensions, 16% of the budget.
In a few years, pension payments have increased x80!
3. Project forward & it gets even more challenging without decisive action.
In 3 years pension payments almost double, & in 10 years pension projections in KP alone would be north of Rs. 500 bln a year. This is the problem every govt in Pakistan, provincial and federal faces.
1. Sometimes we need to rise above politics. Remember, the biggest challenge of govt is the cost of govt. The salaries and pensions challenge that we face across Pakistan is one that has to be solved. If we don't find a solution as a country, we will never be able to progress.
2. In many countries, public scrutiny on govt budgets is on whether govt is minimising it's own cost. Remember, everything govt doesn't spend on itself, it spends on the 99% of the population not working for govt.
3. In KP, salary and pension spend has increased by 450% over the last ten years. This is true across Pakistan, and this is why we have to control unnecessary growth in the size of govt, standing at over 500k employees in KP. We have acted boldly on this.
1. A few things about this report on fatality rates in Pakistan worth understanding;
Understanding data well will be critical in this fight; as will be the need for all; politicians; administrators; media; to change business as usual behaviour. Read on!
2. From the report; indeed KP health staff has done the best it can; they are working day and night; & there has been no laxity.
But wrong to say that conducting fewer tests is best practice. Across Pakistan, there isn't enough testing, as is the case across much of the world.
3. Given that, we are rapidly increasing testing capacity. From 40 to 300+ /day; within this month we will be at over 1000+ /day. This can only be done keeping in mind HR, safety, quality compliance and test availability. The last thing we need is for contagion in test centres.
1. The quality of debate on financial spending in Pakistan needs significant improvement.
Out of context articles may try to create confusion, but the fact remains that @IMMahmoodKhan's Govt has a track record of delivery in the Tribal Districts.
2. Perhaps above all is the effort to give the Tribal Districts representation in the KP assembly.
For the KP Govt to complete the political transition, and give tribal Pashtuns full representation after 72 years as Pakistani citizens is something all of Pakistan can celebrate.
3. A few examples of what is done in the Tribal Districts over this short time period.
Access for every family, and every citizen within, to Universal Health Insurance under the Sehat Insaf Scheme; the only area of Pakistan to benefit in such a way.
.1. A speech by PTI MNA @NOORALAMKHAN on social media was brought to my attention. My values & upbringing do not allow me to respond in the language used. But I think it important to highlight both what was said and to clarify a few things, since the accusations were personal.
2. I thank all my supporters, MPAs & cabinet colleagues for their messages of support. Rest assured, abuse and threats do not affect me. They are a small price to pay in the fight to do something for the 210 mln people of this country, in line with Imran Khan's vision.
3. However, I wish the politics of this sort of abuse would end. Criticise me all you like, but engage with civility. At least I hope that's the standard I can always hold myself to.
In the next few tweets are @NOORALAMKHAN's speech and their translation in Urdu.