Vision 2025: A model of success for Pakistan

Vision 2025: A model of success for Pakistan
ISLAMABAD:  Pakistani nation has travelled a long way, going through so many ups and downs in its 70 years, but it is still staying strong and moving ahead as the sixth most populous
country of 200 million people.
      

In 70 years, although the country has exhibited significant
economic growth with a phenomenal increase in the quantum of
inherited infrastructure, it continues to lag behind in the sphere
of human and social capital development and national cohesion.
      

To propel Pakistan forward in the global economy, Prof Ahsan
Iqbal, as Minister for Planning, created a Vision 2025, which sets
concrete goals for the country with the objective to put Pakistan
among the top 25 economies of the world by 2025 and among the top 10
high income economies by 2047.
      

Prof Ahsan talks about lost opportunities. "Pakistan was on
the way to becoming a developed nation during the early 60s but lost
its way.
      

"Later during the early 90s, Pakistan again led the way in
South Asia but again within a decade lost its direction."
      

Prof Ahsan Iqbal, who now holds the portfolio of Minister of
Interior, has a grasp of what Pakistan lost and what it achieved in
its 70 years.
      

He said political stability is the key to keep Pakistan on the
right track.He says, "Pakistan is again at a take off stage and our goal
is to create a modern economy."
      
"Poverty to prosperity is not an indefinite journey; it can
happen in one generation's lifetime. Japan, Korea, China, Singapore,
Malaysia and Turkey have done it."
      

He says, "all successful countries and organisations have achieved success by developing shared visions. In China Deng Xiao Peng in 1979 gave a vision 2049 for China to become a middle income country. In Malaysia, PM Mahatir in 1992 presented Malaysia Vision 2020 to make Malaysia a developed country and in Turkey PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented Vision 2023."

      
Pakistan's Vision 2025 is no different than plans of other
countries. It conceives increase in primary school enrolment and
completion rate to 100 percent and literacy rate to 90 percent.
      
Pakistan Vision 2025 aims at substantial expansion in levels
of education as well as improvements in the quality of education.
      
The target is to raise public expenditure on education by 4 percent of GDP by 2018. Under this plan, higher education coverage will be increased 
from 7 percent to 12 percent and number of PhDs from 7000 to 15000.
      

90 percent of the population will get access to improved
sanitation and the infant mortality rate will be reduced from 74 to
less than 40 per 1000 births and maternal mortality rate will be cut
from 276 to less than 140 per 1000 births
      

Vision 2025 is an ambitious plan and according to it, poverty
will be reduced by half from the current levels.
      
Annual foreign direct investment will be raised from USD 600
million to over USD 1.5 billion and tax to GDP ratio will be boosted
from 9.8 percent to 18 percent.
      
The more daunting task that the government has set itself is
to increase annual exports from US$ 25 billion to US$ 150 billion by
2025.
      
Pakistan has suffered from energy shortages and the plan
envisions to double power generation to over 45,000 megawatts to
provide uninterrupted and affordable electricity and increase
electricity access from 67 percent to over 90 percent of the
population.
      

Pakistan can achieve all these goals if its citizens believe
that they can accomplish all these goals.
      
Prof Ahsan has a message for all his fellow citizens. "For a
change, let's adopt positive thinking and optimism. We have for too
long cribbed about the glass being half empty. It is my conviction
that Pakistan is well poised to emerge as one of the fastest growing
economies in South Asia."