KARACHI:
Pakistan will celebrate its 76th independence next month amid political uncertainty and a fragile economic environment. People’s optimism is dwindling as their grievances remain unaddressed by the political leadership. The vision of our founding fathers has remained unfulfilled while governance failures continue. The political leadership do not seem to have a long-term plan for the country. Resultantly, the future seems bleak and uncertain.
Short-term solutions and delays in meaningful reforms have permanently increased economic, institutional and social problems. The challenges confronting the country are formidable. They include the structural crisis of the economy, declining literacy, uncontrolled population growth and climate change. Dysfunctional and weak economic policies have left the country dependent on the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world, which is the source of all fiscal problems. The country requires wide-ranging economic reforms and a political consensus to implement those reforms. Political stability has remained elusive in Pakistan since its creation. Poor governance has hampered democratic progress. The masses are losing faith in the democratic system.
The looming crises require more than just lip service. Investment in education is critical for economic progress, global competitiveness, and societal harmony. The government also needs to tackle the burgeoning population growth as the country is already running short of resources. It is unfortunate that even after 75 years, not a single leader has been able to address the country’s persistent challenges and governance failures. What the country requires now is national unity and strong leadership that can steer the country toward a hopeful and certain future.
Ghazanfar Soomro
Shikarpur
Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2023.
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