Revival Plan

In an endeavour to buckle up the economy and put it on a sustainable track, an ambitious revival plan has been unveiled. Jotted down carefully by the civil-military combine, the long-term strategy is meant to harness the untapped potential of 240 million people and the resource-laden landmass by throwing it open for foreign direct investments. As a first, Gulf and Middle Eastern states will be in the loop for arranging necessary funds, and to make sure that feasible projects see the light of the day and in real time. Buoying local development and expediting implementation of projects in pipeline is a salient feature of the program.

The ‘Economic Revival Plan’ estimates that by 2035, Pakistan could become a trillion-dollar economy. The new layout is bigger than the $60 billion CPEC, and eyes an FDI of $100 billion in the next five years. Moreover, it focuses on making the economy export-oriented by creating job opportunities for around 75 million people, directly and indirectly, and to elevate the export targets up to $70 billion and gradually slash imports. But what makes the initiative unique is the realisation that this ‘Special Investment Facilitation Council’ will be a perpetual one-window operation meant to eliminate all bottlenecks and bureaucratic red-tapism. This is a must to woo investors and to restore the confidence of local entrepreneurs in the health of the economy, which is otherwise tainted and compromised at the hands of kickbacks and corruption. That the military leadership will be a stakeholder in the process comes as a sign of stability.

This gigantic masterplan to transform the indicators of Pakistan economy must be followed with utmost dedication, and consistency. Many countries have crossed such hallmarks by formulating and implementing a political interference-free programme in their national lives. Ghana is one example that scaled heights of success as it sticks to a 30-year plan incorporated in its Constitution. We also need to attain it, and political forces across board must be in it. The one-point agenda should be to turn around Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2023.

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