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Interesting Analysis
Humza Jilani in Jamshoro and Islamabad 2 HOURS AGO
On a sunny early January afternoon, two thousand fishermen, farmers and
activists gathered on the dry river bed outside Kotri Barrage in Pakistan, the final
dam before the waters of the Indus flow into the Arabian Sea.
“Send this message to Islamabad, send this message to Pindi: we will not drink
your gutter water!” shouted one activist, referring to Rawalpindi, where the army
is headquartered. “We reject the canal!” roared the crowd.
The protests were against a Rs200bn ($720mn) project to build canals that would
divert water upstream to eastern Pakistan. There, an agricultural company led by
the military, Green Pakistan, hopes to turn a large swath of desert into fertile
farmland that will guarantee a steady supply of grain and attract investment from
Gulf states.
The canal project is being directed by the government, but led by the Special
Investment Facilitation Council, an investment body co-led by Asim Munir,
Pakistan’s army chief of staff. Other SIFC initiatives, led mostly by serving and
retired officers, include plans to renovate hotels at the foot of the snowcapped
peaks in Pakistan’s north and schemes to exploit mineral and natural gas riches in
the mountainous frontier with Afghanistan.
Proponents say the army’s role is crucial in projects like this: as well as cutting
through red tape and settling the squabbles that have prevented Pakistan from
developing export and tourism sectors, it can draw in much-needed foreign
investment and reshape one of Asia’s most troubled economies.
The Big Read Pakistan's economy
How Pakistan’s military istaking over its economy
The country’s armed forces have become intimately involved in everything from canal projects to energy
contracts. Investors are increasingly nervous.
Humza Jilani in Jamshoro and Islamabad 2 HOURS AGO
On a sunny early January afternoon, two thousand fishermen, farmers and
activists gathered on the dry river bed outside Kotri Barrage in Pakistan, the final
dam before the waters of the Indus flow into the Arabian Sea.
“Send this message to Islamabad, send this message to Pindi: we will not drink
your gutter water!” shouted one activist, referring to Rawalpindi, where the army
is headquartered. “We reject the canal!” roared the crowd.
The protests were against a Rs200bn ($720mn) project to build canals that would
divert water upstream to eastern Pakistan. There, an agricultural company led by
the military, Green Pakistan, hopes to turn a large swath of desert into fertile
farmland that will guarantee a steady supply of grain and attract investment from
Gulf states.
The canal project is being directed by the government, but led by the Special
Investment Facilitation Council, an investment body co-led by Asim Munir,
Pakistan’s army chief of staff. Other SIFC initiatives, led mostly by serving and
retired officers, include plans to renovate hotels at the foot of the snowcapped
peaks in Pakistan’s north and schemes to exploit mineral and natural gas riches in
the mountainous frontier with Afghanistan.
Proponents say the army’s role is crucial in projects like this: as well as cutting
through red tape and settling the squabbles that have prevented Pakistan from
developing export and tourism sectors, it can draw in much-needed foreign
investment and reshape one of Asia’s most troubled economies.
The Big Read Pakistan's economy
How Pakistan’s military istaking over its economy
The country’s armed forces have become intimately involved in everything from canal projects to energy
contracts. Investors are increasingly nervous.
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