Private sector needs to take lead in country’s development

Pakistan can learn a lot from Turkey’s fast recovery from attempted coup

KARACHI: Turkey’s economy was badly shaken by massive terror attacks and a coup attempt afterwards in July. Its travel and tourism industry, with a direct and indirect share of around 12% in the national economy, particularly felt the jolt of the disturbing events.

People of the country, however, did not let the turmoil prolong and came out on the streets to shield their political setup and succeeded. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power since 1994, prevented the political and economic structure from crumbling with widespread support from the people.



In the process, the government scrutinised almost everyone and suspended more than 60,000 officials at schools, colleges, aviation industry, judiciary and others. Now life has come back to normal and businesses have resumed work. They are striving to give a much-needed boost to the bruised economy.

A visitor to Istanbul told The Express Tribune about a week ago: “This is my second visit {in October}. When I came here last time in March, the situation was entirely different. Police were not allowing tourists to enter historical places like this one {Blue Mosque}. But now people are free to move.”

He was right as people were roaming around Taksim Square, one of the most popular and busiest places in Istanbul. They were on the streets in large numbers late in the night as shops stayed open.

The square is surrounded by international fast food chains, restaurants and pubs. People also choose this site, from where tram tracks pass, for New Year celebrations.

Being a developing country like Turkey, Pakistan can learn a lot from the development of Istanbul, as both countries are dominated by Muslim populations, have beautiful landscapes but also face the threat of terrorism.



Pakistan is blessed with so many tourist spots including Swat which is called the Switzerland of Asia. However, these eye-catching places are yet to host a large number of foreign tourists since the Taliban spread their influence to a large part of the region in the previous decade. Now, the government and the army have succeeded in making these places free from terrorists.

Secondly, the private sector in Turkey is at the forefront of efforts to put its economy back on rails.

The chairman of Turkish Airline, who invited and briefed world media on the ups and downs in Istanbul, said, “We are updating you about how life has been restored in Istanbul because it was the private sector that was attacked and paid the cost.”

In the same way, Pakistan’s private sector could take lead and kick off development work on a massive scale as Turkish businessmen do by looking beyond their business interests. The revival of tourist spots and other sectors of Pakistan’s economy will surely pay them back.

Confidence

Thirdly, the people of Turkey repose trust in themselves and their elected governments. “The government is doing a good job,” said a Turkish man, who like many citizens of Turkey highlighted only the good aspects of their society.

This is in stark contrast to the tradition in Pakistan where people always point to poor aspects of the society. They do this while talking to even foreigners and during trips abroad, which paints a negative perception of Pakistan.

The Green Bus and Orange Line train projects in Lahore are based on the Istanbul model. By setting aside controversies and disputes, other Turkish models may be adopted across the country.

The writer is a staff correspondent

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2016.

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