ABSTRACT
The Indus River system in Pakistan affects most sectors of the country’s economy and the working conditions and living standards of the majority of the population. This chapter aims to review the development of the Indus River system, the improving economy of Pakistan, the range of energy sources presently available, and the use of land for agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The economy of Pakistan belongs to the group classified by the World Bank as ‘low-income countries’: its per capita income is about 25 per cent of the average for all middle-income developing countries. Economic and industrial growth slowed down and then stagnated during the mid-1970s partly because of a government policy of nationalisation, and the confidence of the private sector was lost. The Indus River Project, which is under discussion between the University of Glasgow and governmental and non-governmental organisations in Pakistan, is aimed at providing a long-term programme with these objectives.
