Engr. Asghar H Siddiqui, CEO, ElekEn Associates
share his thoughts on the future of engineering sector in Pakistan with Engineering Post
Asghar H Siddiqui is the CEO/Principal Engineer and the founder of ElekEn Associates, the renowned engineering consultant company operating in the industry since 1989. ElekEn Associates have contributed to hundreds of local and international projects including Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare, Education, Residential and Industrial sectors.
The CEO of this diverse consultancy service, Engr. Asghar H Siddiqui while talking to Engineering Post about the current economic scenario said that he is very optimistic about the future of Pakistan. He is of the view that Pakistan is moving towards substantial improvements mainly because of industrialization and commercialization we are going through right now.
During a candid conversation exclusively with Engineering Post he said that “Pakistan is my motherland and I don’t have any plans to leave it for another country so I want Pakistan to succeed and rise to its true potential,” While commenting on the performance of the current government he said that unfortunately this government has been consistently afflicted by one problem or another, be it depleted foreign reserves, border tensions with India or COVID-19. The direction of the government is right and will soon bear fruit.
While commenting on the industrialization of the country he said that he is witnessing a huge number of industries being set up in Pakistan at a very fast pace. This has the potential to change the fate of Pakistan for the better. He also emphasized the fact that the construction package offered by the government has the potential to be a game changer for the country but there is a need to create awareness in the people about it.
“Many Consultancy companies in Pakistan are being managed and run by non-engineers or diploma holders. These people run these fake consultancies in a very non-professional manner, fixing prices and giving rise to nepotism,” Engr. Asghar. H Siddiqui highlighted a major problem of the engineering consultancy sector. He urged the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and Association of Consulting Engineers of Pakistan (ACEP) to look into these fake consultancy firms and take steps on war footing to keep them in check. “The regulations are there but they are not being implemented,” he added “This malpractice has resulted in making the young engineers dislike the consultancy service altogether” he said. The priority of fresh engineers in Pakistan is to leave for abroad, get a government job, get a private job and if nothing works become a consultant. This has resulted in deterioration of quality of consultancy firms in Pakistan and the relevant regulatory authorities should look into the matter on priority basis.
Due to the wide range of specialties of Engr. Asghar H Siddiqui, his company has been able to provide services for many renowned local and international clients. ElekEn associates have worked in Pakistan with some of the most prestigious companies of the country providing their services for establishment many institutions including Agha Khan University Hospital, State Bank of Pakistan, Metro Cash & Carry, Emaar Pakistan, Al-Ghurair Giga, Atlas Honda, Emirates Airlines and the list goes on.
With such a vast experience under his belt Asghar H Siddiqui is in the right position to guide the engineering sector of Pakistan into the right direction to help it come on par to the international engineering community and the standards followed by them. Engr. Asghar H Siddiqui when asked about any suggestions for the industry said “Our industry should try to keep up with the innovations being introduced in the market. A very common example is the introduction of bus ways. Now the cables are being rapidly replaced with Bus ways and cable manufacturers in the country need to stay abreast of the changing trends of the world. Otherwise they will be overwhelmed by the new innovations and technologies”.
ElekEn Associates offers vast number of services under their umbrella covering almost all aspects required of an engineering consultant. These services include IT Consulting, Electrical, Vertical Transportation (Elevators/Escalators), Specialized Services, Combined Cooling, Heating & Power Generation, Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning (HVAC), Plumbing/Public Health, Instrumentation & Control Engineering. While replying to a question, Engr. Asghar H Siddiqui assured that all the internationally accepted standards are followed while designing a building in Pakistan unless a client specifically demands that a certain item be installed. The main reason for the client making such a demand is the unreliability of locally produced products. “It pains me personally to suggest an imported product to a client rather than a domestically produced product but we have to do it because of lack of standardization in local products. We cannot suggest a sub-standard product so we have to go for imported ones,” he said. He further added that Pakistan has the potential to make high quality products locally which will be cheaper and easily available for the client as well. If we start producing high-quality products locally not only will the industry flourish but it will also provide benefit to the client saving money as well as precious time.
