Pakistan’s construction sector reflects a persistent double standard. Foreign firms executing mega projects receive contracts and payments worth millions, while Pakistani professionals working on the same projects are often compensated at disproportionately low levels, despite carrying comparable responsibilities and technical competence. This imbalance fuels brain drain, weakens professional loyalty and undermines national capacity building. When domestic expertise is undervalued, the country effectively invests in the development of foreign economies at the cost of its own.
The government must urgently intervene by enforcing equitable compensation policies and prioritising local professionals. Without such reform, sustainable development in the construction sector will remain an unfulfilled promise rather than a national achievement.
Engr Shahid Ullah Khan Tator
Dera Ismail Khan
