Pakistan; the land of Pak is the land of my forefathers. Every handful of its dust colored with the blood of ancestors. They are buried here and become the part of this land with the hope that their upcoming generations will led independent, safe and prosperous life here, they always wanted to see a prosperous Pakistan; a country that could be a shining example for all the Muslim nations in the world. Unfortunately, we have not been able to achieve his dream despite 75 years of independence.
I wonder what our future generations will see when they look around? Will they see a country teeming with opportunity? Or will they be in a country that does not offer enough jobs and does not provide the needed skills to compete? Suffered from corruption, unemployment, poor health facilities and a very low literacy rate? But I have not given up hope. Pakistan can become a very fine place to live if we utilize the God gifted resources and only thing which is necessary today is to take some important decisions which will give our children the future they deserve. If we can make the right decisions now, Pakistan can accelerate and sustain growth to become a confident upper middle-income country by the time it turns 100. It’s ambitious but possible. Countries like, South Korea, China, and Malaysia have transformed their economies within a generation, and there is no reason why Pakistan cannot achieve the same.
We have coal mines, rivers, thermal power, nuclear energy and what not! If we can utilize these resources to the fullest, we too, can become a successful nation. Unity is the nation’s strength and if we work as one nation with an aim to build Pakistan, we can become an ideal country to live in. But celebrating Independence Day will require a new version of Pakistanis where policy makers and policy followers join hands for the prosperity of their beloved homeland.
A growth narrative for Pakistan needs to rest on four pillars:
- Investment in human capital.
- Efficient utilization of resources.
- Work for sustainable environment and
- Institutional reforms in each and every sector.
Following strategies are suggested to the broaden the orbit of economic progress,
- State needs to think big on investing in its people (human capital). Path towards nation’s economic prosperity lie under their productive human resource which is only possible through education accompanied by training. Education is the key to success but our country lacks educated people which is the major reason why we lag behind in many fields. Illiteracy eventually leads to unemployment and thus crime in society and of course when people will not get their basic needs fulfilled, they will try to get it the wrong way.
- With growing population, overwhelming education, health services and increasingly straining Pakistan’s natural resources we need to focus not only on best utilization but work hard to develop new resources with the support of skilled labor force through invention and innovation.
- Females are more than 50% of Pakistan’s population but rate of economic participation of females recorded one of the lowest in the World which definitely required to be addressed.
- Government is advised to make efforts to broaden the tax net and bolster tax administration to permanently increase tax revenues without continuing to increase the burden on those already paying taxes.
- Private sector needs to be more competitive via improved business environment, increased openness of trade and investment and through reforms in energy sector.
- Caring environment is also the need of time which includes environment degradation, sustainable consumption and water management. Today more than 80% of water utilized for irrigation generate only 5% of economic output while remaining are wasted which needs special attention.
- Better infrastructure, management, and pricing reflects the cost of service and water scarcity will go a long way toward improving water efficiency. Efforts will also be needed to tackle air and water pollution, including use plastics.
- Last but not the least, we will have to be underpinned by a governance framework that must be transparent and foster accountability. Politicians and public leaders should be more aligned with citizen needs. Too often, we have seen policies being implemented that do not necessarily benefit general population which necessarily require improvement.
- A curious, dynamic and impatient youth population is the asset of any nation having the ability to conquer the world so, participation of youth should be enhanced.
Now, it is the high time to come together and see what needs to be done to achieve this goal. I like to imagine another Pakistan, in which stunting and malnutrition are gone, in which family background does not determine what job you can get, women compete equally with men, 100% population are literate having all health facilities. A Pakistan where we are in a position to compete with the global economic giants but it is only possible if we chart a new direction for our beloved country which require sincere efforts which demands to own a stake in our own country’s economy and its social contract. Major policy shifts require both boldness and staying power. Now is the time for Pakistan to move forward. The ticking of the demographic time bomb is getting louder where the big question is whether it will lead to Pakistan becoming more or less productive and inclusive?. With determination, Pakistan can take full advantage of its location by build dynamism into its economy, unleash the power of youth and women and by defusing the demographic time bomb. Father of nation once said “With faith, discipline, and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.” And I wish and hope that when we looks back in 2047 when Pakistan turns 100 years old we witness a glittery, prosperous and shining Pakistan (Amen).