Tough but fair

The IMF is asking the government of Pakistan to reduce expenditures in exchange for a bailout. They should use this as an opportunity to immediately reduce the high salaries and allowances in the public sector, especially pension payments of government employees. State-owned companies must be run in a more cost-effective manner and should not be a burden on taxpayers. The bloated compensation packages in these enterprises are not justified by the performance they deliver and are a drain on our fiscal resources. In fact, the mismanagement in the public-sector organizations is among the main reasons we need a bailout in the first place. It is only fair then for these organizations to shoulder much of the austerity burden.

Engr Shahryar Khan Baseer

Peshawar