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ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday underscored that the transparent and timely completion of nationally important development projects remains the government’s top priority, as he chaired a high-level meeting to finalize a comprehensive roadmap for accelerating project delivery.
Addressing the meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, the prime minister directed officials to devise an across-the-board reform strategy covering all stages of development projects, from approval and planning to procurement and human resource deployment.
He announced that he would personally chair a steering committee comprising federal and provincial stakeholders to oversee reforms in the development planning and execution framework.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked development partners, particularly the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), for their support and technical assistance in advancing reforms aimed at ensuring the timely completion of projects critical to national development.
During the briefing, representatives of the World Bank and ADB presented detailed proposals to improve project readiness and execution timelines. The meeting was informed that misalignment of human resources with project objectives, delays in procurement processes, and multiple layers of approvals were among the primary reasons for cost overruns and delayed completion of development schemes.
The officials highlighted the need to align project execution with the objectives of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and Annual Development Programme (ADP). The briefing noted that the lack of timely procurement was a key bottleneck and emphasized that the introduction of e-procurement systems and improved project readiness mechanisms could significantly expedite procurement procedures.
The meeting was also told that simplification of approval processes was essential, as development projects often face delays due to lengthy and complex administrative stages.
To institutionalize reforms, the meeting proposed the formation of four dedicated working groups. The first group will focus on reforms in project approval and preparation processes; the second will work on modernizing and ensuring transparency in procurement systems; the third will address issues related to land acquisition and resettlement; while the fourth will focus on reforms in human resource management and staff deployment for development projects.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Malik, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, senior government officials, and country directors of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.