“Preventing Pakistan from further deterioration will require a sustained, long-term commitment from the government of Pakistan, the United States and other international stakeholders to promote genuine reform in the coming decade,” this observation is made by the Asia Society in its recent study titled “Pakistan 2020 − A vision for building a better future”.
Education key to economic growth
The Asia Society report assesses the myriad political, economic and security challenges facing Pakistan today and provides a set of recommendations for how the country can begin to pave a prosperous path toward peace and stability in the coming decade. While acknowledging that the security situation in Pakistan has linkages with the ongoing war in Afghanistan, this report focuses primarily on Pakistan’s internal crises and offers a roadmap for establishing stability along with a sustainable democratic order. The research underlines that though Pakistan’s vibrant civil society, relatively open media and the rise of an independent higher judiciary provide some glimmer of hope, poor economic and development indicators coupled with worrying demographic trends pose serious challenges to the well-being of millions of Pakistanis.
Disaster Management
It points out that energy shortages have worsened in recent years and the destruction caused by the floods of 2010 has exacerbated the country’s many strains. “In short, how Pakistan manages these challenges in the coming years will have great consequences for its future prospects”, the study maintains. The research indicates that in Pakistan, there is a growing consensus about the need for reform, but the resources and will that are required to plan, support and implement such an agenda remain elusive. In this context, the role of private and public sector media in preparing Pakistani society and the state for competition in the global economy and in creating a culture of innovation cannot be overlooked, it adds.
Key Points
The study focuses mainly on seven core issues that are essential to realising a sound future for the country by 2020: (1) strengthening democratic institutions; (2) strengthening the rule of law; (3) improving human development and social services, especially in health and education; (4) developing the energy infrastructure; (5) assisting the victims of the 2010 flood in their recovery; (6) improving internal security; and (7) advancing the peace process with India.
Need to invest $5b in energy production
Though the research has given several recommendations to improve the social, political and economic landscape of the country, but this article is confined to worsening energy crisis. In the study, experts have pointed out that Pakistan faces chronic infrastructure challenges when it comes to energy sources. In addition to nurturing social and political instability, Pakistan’s poor energy infrastructure imposes enormous economic costs in the form of unemployment and loss of revenue. An uninterrupted supply of energy to fuel the national economy should be the highest priority for Pakistan’s economic managers. To meet its current and future energy demands, the government of Pakistan should invest a minimum of $5 billion in energy production by 2020.
Kalabagh Dam vital for country’s future
In addition, it underscores that with proper upkeep and maintenance of existing hydropower dams, more dams are needed to meet current and future energy requirements in Pakistan. This can be achieved by directing investments toward the construction of a very small number of large dams (Kalabagh dam is one project that has been stalled) or a larger number of small reservoirs. At the same time, these plans must be integrated into a broader strategy to improve water resource management throughout the country. It also highlights that Pakistan can dispel the impression that big dam projects will benefit only larger provinces by exploring ways to reach a consensus among all provinces on its water infrastructure and providing provinces with legally binding guarantees. It states that energy efficiency in Pakistan can be improved if government-owned power generation infrastructure is refurbished technologically and power infrastructure is upgraded with a modern efficient grid. Foreign donors can play a key role in building Pakistan’s energy capacity by providing expert advice to the public and private sectors in Pakistan on energy development and management.
