Nowadays, Pakistan is in bad news most of the time. Many people are losing hope in the resilience of Pakistan’s system, polity and society. That’s why our most valuable and educated segment of the population is choosing to move abroad for better facilities. Last year, this brain death number jumped to 0.8 million. The most fundamental question is that Pakistan seems to be in crisis in the last two decades because of three imperative and existential crises: political instability, economic recession and growing terrorism. Therefore, to get Pakistan back on track, we have to deal with these fundamental problems of the country.
First of all, we have to realize that Pakistan was a pretty successful story during the 1960s when we had become a classical model of economic growth for Third-World countries. In that era, Pakistan was ahead of its regional neighbours, including India. Former State Bank Governor Dr Ishrat Hussain, in his book Governing the Ungovernable (2018), noted that Pakistan was ahead on key socio-economic indicators, human development and per capita income from neighbouring countries, especially India, before the 1990s. We have been losing ground to India since the 1990s and Bangladesh has outdone Pakistan since the 2010s. Hence, a thorough introspection is needed to figure out what’s gone wrong with Pakistan.
Therefore, to claim our past glory, Pakistan has to cement a “charter of democracy” to ensure political stability in the country. Violent, turbulent and polarized politics have damaged every aspect of growth in the country. We have witnessed a severe form of polarized politics since 2022 where government and opposition are at loggerheads with each other. To break down this pattern, there is a need for consensus among political parties, judiciary and establishment for setting the game of politics. For that purpose, both political processes such as ensuring free and fair elections and political culture need to be revamped in the country.
Second, Pakistan’s economic projection is a history of boom and bust. The fundamental issues of Pakistan’s economy are the trade deficit, the current account deficit and the elite capture of the economy. Owing to low revenue, we have to go to the IMF for a bailout package, and the government is preparing for another bailout package of $8 billion from the IMF. Overdependence on the IMF erodes our political and economic sovereignty. Therefore, Pakistan needs a “charter of the economy” in which key issues of the economy such as imports, exports, taxes, subsidies and privatization would be settled down for a long period to have fiscal continuity. Furthermore, the government should boost its exports by investing in industrialization and education while curtailing luxurious imports. Meanwhile, increasing the tax net has become the need of the hour for the government. One must remember that political and economic stability are two sides of the same coin.
Third, the government needs to focus and invest in the human capital of the country. As per the latest finding of the Economic Survey of Pakistan (2022-2023), the country has 23 million out-of-school children while the literacy rate remained restricted to 60 percent. Therefore, the government must come up with a solid plan to address the out-of-school children issue and provide quality education in public educational institutions. The government should urge creativity and critical thinking in educational institutions and do away with the business of rote learning and regressive education. For that purpose, an overhaul of curricula and syllabi is required as well as proper training of teachers.
Fourth, without the inclusion of half of the population in socioeconomic activities, Pakistan can’t be relevant in the 21st century. Therefore, women’s empowerment should be a fundamental agenda item of the new government. Policies should be devised for the inclusion of women in politics, economics and every walk of life. Various researches indicate that the political, economic and social evolution of society is deeply linked with women’s empowerment. However, nowadays, we are at 142th out of 146th countries according to the Global Gender Gap Index (2023), another indicator of why we are losing ground in the modern world.
Fifth, Pakistan’s institutions need an overhaul of reforms. From police to civil service, judiciary and other arm of executives need fundamental reforms. For example, for much of its history, the Pakistani Police has been operated under Police Act 1861, which is oppressive and regressive. Therefore, the natural outcome of such a colonial legal system for institutions are damaging the social contract between society and institutions. Hence, an overhauled reformed institution would inculcate a new soul into these institutions and provide much-needed relief to the general public.
Pakistan has the full potential of becoming a middle power in the upcoming decade provided that a visionary leadership has come up with a comprehensive plan of political, economic and social stability. Pakistan, having the fifth largest population on the planet, cannot stay irrelevant for a longer period.
Sixth, as per Global Climate Risk Index (2023) Pakistan has been ranked the fifth most vulnerable country in terms of climate change and global warming. During the super flood of 2022, Pakistan suffered $30 billion economic loss and the loss of 1739 people, showing the severity of the climate crisis in the country. Therefore, Pakistan needs to adopt a comprehensive model of mitigation and adaptation for battling with climate change. Furthermore, Pakistan needs to implement its own “National Climate Change Policy” (2021), in which a pledge has made a transition towards up to 60 percent renewable energy in its energy production along with 30 percent of its vehicles going electric by 2030. In that way, Pakistan could be able to preserve its environment along with its economic survival in upcoming years.
Finally, Pakistan needs to secure its borders to break the shackles of terrorism. Pakistan has lost 80,000 lives and suffered an economic loss of $150 billion due to the War on Terror (2001-2021). Apart from that, Pakistan’s soft power has lost credible influence during the last two decades. Therefore, Pakistan needs to build a non-aligned and geo-economic outlook in its foreign policy, where the country is able to foster a healthy relationship with all great powers and other countries. In that case, economic diplomacy is a good start. Take the example of CPEC which has the potential to build regional connectivity and development and revives the notion of the Old Silk Road in the 21st century.
Pakistan has the full potential of becoming a middle power in the upcoming decade provided that a visionary leadership has come up with a comprehensive plan of political, economic and social stability. Pakistan, having the fifth largest population on the planet, cannot stay irrelevant for a longer period.
