"Failing to plan is planning to fail." This adage resonates deeply with Pakistan's predicament today. Much of what ails the country — from climate disasters to dysfunctional public services — can be traced back to either poor planning or poor implementation. Time and again, opportunities to avert crises have been lost because we did not think ahead.

Take the case of floods. Each year, we know monsoon rains will arrive, bringing the risk of devastation. Yet, despite this foreknowledge, we fail to mitigate their impact. The havoc unleashed by recent floods was neither unprecedented nor unforeseeable. Why, then, do we still allow deforestation that triggers landslides? Why do just two days of rain cripple a mega-city? Why do we permit illegal construction on natural waterways, neglect desilting of canals, do not construct water reservoirs, unclog rainwater drains, or abandon dredging of rivers? These are failures of will and strategic planning, not of knowledge.

Poor planning is nowhere more evident........

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