Real development

It is the economy which helps sustain national security and state sovereignty, more than any other factor. The Soviet Union collapsed from within, in spite of its powerful military, nuclear arsenal and status of being one of the two major superpowers of the world. We need to set our house in order, revamp the FBR and enforce rule of law. Although Pakistan’s economy is agriculture-based, over the course of 20 years hundreds of thousands of acres of green agriculture land on periphery of every major city has been occupied by the powerful cartel of land developers in nexus with public office holders. The net result is that Pakistan, which was once self-sustained to meet the growing demands of an ever-increasing population, is today forced to import even basic food items.

A corrupt civil bureaucracy and a weak state regulatory control mechanism have resulted in the deterioration of quality production which has impacted our exports. To make matters worse, the state has cut back on investment in human resources which is the most vital tool for development in a country with scarce financial resources. Countries like Singapore, with almost negligible natural resources, are today an economic power just because of investment in education, healthcare and research. Pakistan too should follow the example set by these countries.

Malik Tariq Ali

Lahore