When I visited the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) in Islamabad to renew my professional engineer membership a few days ago, I observed a total transformation of the way business was conducted at the office. The hard work, dedication and commitment put in by the new management spearheaded by its ever-enthusiastic new chairman are paying off. With stringent follow-up rules on merit, about 5,000 fresh engineers have already been inducted by contracting firms which is a landmark achievement.
The PEC should now take up a range of other issues that has been plaguing the engineering community for the last few decades. The energy crisis, a dwindling economy and Pakistan turning into a water-scarce country are a few ills that are a direct outcome of the wrong policies pursued by successive governments. But the engineering community is not without fault. The cancer of corruption and greed has distorted every fabric of this noble profession. The PEC therefore has an additional responsibility to counter ills that have crept in over the years. It should engage the government by proposing viable and prudent action plans/policies that ensure ‘real’ development.
Kawish Shariatullah
Rawalpindi