All the plans and promises in the world will mean little if the government once again fails to follow through. The newly announced five-year privatisation roadmap envisages the sale of 24 state-owned enterprises in three phases. Ten, including PIA and the Roosevelt Hotel, are to be put up first, followed by 13 major energy and insurance entities, with the Postal Life Insurance Company reserved for the final phase.

On paper, the plan makes sense. SOEs have for decades drained the public purse while delivering little of value. A phased approach could allow the state to prepare assets for sale and line up investors to avoid the administrative chaos that has plagued past efforts. Yet, history cautions against optimism. Similar exercises have been launched before, complete with targets and tim

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