The whole problem is about intention. The plight of government institutions in Pakistan is nothing new, but the figures revealed in the recent meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Public Enterprises have sounded the alarm bells. During the financial year 2024–25, the loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) incurred a net loss of Rs 123 billion, while in the previous financial year 2023–24, the same loss was Rs 30.6 billion. Thus, in just one year, the losses of government institutions increased by a whopping 300 per cent, which is not just a sign of financial mismanagement but a complete crisis of governance.

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If this situation is examined more closely, the reality looks even more worrying. In the first six months of the financial year 2025 alone, the government institutions with huge losses incurred a total loss of Rs 343 billion. That is, at the rate at which these institutions are burdening the national exchequer, if this trend continues, it will become impossible to manage the economy in the coming years.

In terms of deficit, the National Highway Authority (NHA) is at the top with Rs 153 billion. This is the institution........

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