A Comprehensive Strategy to Transform Pakistan into a Modern State

[AhsanAmin]

This is first in the series of ten posts in which I want to write my thoughts about a comprehensive strategy to make Pakistan a modern prosperous state. In this first post, I am writing what are the factors required by a country for her prosperity. In the later posts, I will explain carefully how to materialize all these factors in our beloved country, Pakistan.

Pakistan is home to a population of 200 million people and this country has all the ingredients albeit in a very raw form required to make it a modern prosperous 21st century leader in the league of nations. I will start by stating the most fundamental fact that true wealth of a nation is its human capital. Degree of sophistication of human capital of a nation mostly determines how advanced and wealthy that nation is. The second important factor, that contributes to wealth of a nation, is how effectively the systems and institutions are in place in that country to facilitate productive and wealth generating activity of the human capital. The third factor required to create wealth is the economic capital or wealth itself. Many western countries have a lot of accumulated wealth or economic capital due to strong economic activity of more than a century and this economic capital continues to put itself to work for continued strong economic activity. Summing it up, we need sophisticated human capital, good laws and strong institutions for creation of wealth by human capital and the economic capital (or money required to invest in projects to create wealth by human capital in an atmosphere conducive for the growth of human and economic capital created by good laws and strong institutions).

 

[Nilgiri]

There are really only 3 basic steps needed:

1) Education

2) Education

3) Education

Everything else hinges on this.

 

[Spectre]

This is first in the series of ten posts in which I want to write my thoughts about a comprehensive strategy to make Pakistan a modern prosperous state. In this first post, I am writing what are the factors required by a country for her prosperity. In the later posts, I will explain carefully how to materialize all these factors in our beloved country, Pakistan.

Pakistan is home to a population of 200 million people and this country has all the ingredients albeit in a very raw form required to make it a modern prosperous 21st century leader in the league of nations. I will start by stating the most fundamental fact that true wealth of a nation is its human capital. Degree of sophistication of human capital of a nation mostly determines how advanced and wealthy that nation is. The second important factor, that contributes to wealth of a nation, is how effectively the systems and institutions are in place in that country to facilitate productive and wealth generating activity of the human capital. The third factor required to create wealth is the economic capital or wealth itself. Many western countries have a lot of accumulated wealth or economic capital due to strong economic activity of more than a century and this economic capital continues to put itself to work for continued strong economic activity. Summing it up, we need sophisticated human capital, good laws and strong institutions for creation of wealth by human capital and the economic capital (or money required to invest in projects to create wealth by human capital in an atmosphere conducive for the growth of human and economic capital created by good laws and strong institutions).

What about eliminating de-stabilizing factors which have prevented wealth accumulation in Pakistan due to ongoing conflicts in one form or the other.

 

[AhsanAmin]

@Nilgiri and @Spectre. Please do not worry, I will come towards that in complete detail. What both of you said is indeed extremely important.

 

[Nilgiri]

Looking forward to your analysis.

 

[Kakaspai]

There are really only 3 basic steps needed:

1) Education

2) Education

3) Education

Everything else hinges on this.

How educated a person ishaq dar is.you know there is a term "parha likha jahil"we need to eliminate those

 

[Maryam Rehman]

yes we need education but for giving it first of all we need good leaders politicians

 

[Nilgiri]

yes we need education but for giving it first of all we need good leaders politicians

Its a bit of a chicken and the egg sort of situation. Good politicians and leaders can create good education standards with a long term vision and implementation....but that requires a lot of luck to happen at initial stages.....or a certain education threshold should first be reached in a country before it is capable of electing good politicians and leaders (since a critical mass of people no longer believe empty promises but judge and act based solely on results and their own educated appraisal of the situation).

Pakistan literacy rate is more than 50% now, but how much of that is functional literacy? That too I real somewhere that literacy is actually dropping over the last few years in Pakistan (which is very scary prospect if it continues that way). It may take some more time for functional "real" literacy come to the level where democratic elections are able to harness the inherent advantage of democracy. How long that will be is up for debate.