Moot calls for steps to stabilise economy

MARDAN: The participants in a conference here on Monday stressed the need for drastic steps to stabilise the country’s economy.

They were speaking at a two-day international conference titled “Informed Decision Making for Economic Prosperity”. The Pakhtunkhwa Economic Policy Research Institute of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan had organised the event.

Stephen Davis, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute, Wajid Rana, Programme Leader of Pakistan Agriculture Enhancement, Dr Syed Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Zahoor-ul-Haq, former Special Assistant to Chief Minister Himayatullah, Dr Javed Iqbal, Chairman Economics Department and others addressed the moot.

They said the people of developed countries paid taxes regularly while in Pakistan less than 20 per cent of people did so. The speakers said the recommendations of the Pakhtunkhwa Economic Policy Research Institute would be helpful for the economy of the province in formulating its economic policy.

Stephen Davis, a senior research fellow at the Policy and Research Institute in Washington, DC, said the Pakistani government should take tough decisions to control the population. “This is the need of the hour to enhance linkages between the agricultural institutions and buyers. The Khyber Pakhtun­khwa government has to enhance the links between the agricultural institutions,” he added. Addressing the conference, Wajid Rana, Programme Leader, Pakistan Agriculture Enhancement, said the basic unit of the Islamic economy was justice. “Only a justice and transparent society can establish a better society,” he added.