No nation achieves greatness without aligning its citizens towards a common vision. Unfortunately, Pakistan currently faces a stark reality: societal fragmentation stands at its peak. Among the contributing factors, one of the most crucial is the absence of clearly defined, short- and long-term national goals. This lack of direction leaves the nation adrift, yearning for a leader who can bridge divides and chart a course forward.

Pakistan needs a leader who embodies strength, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to the nation’s well-being. This individual must possess the ability to rally the people around a shared vision, fostering unity and purpose.

First, this leader must assemble a team of exceptional talent, drawing upon the finest global professionals across diverse backgrounds. Merit, not identity, should guide these selections, ensuring a team united by competence and dedication.

Second, the leader must be a strategist, capable of attracting foreign investment, cultivating a skilled workforce, and nurturing a competitive business environment. This requires clear-sighted policies and effective diplomacy.

Equally critical is the leader’s commitment to social cohesion. Fostering harmony between diverse ethnicities and cultures is fundamental to national unity. Additionally, maintaining law and order is crucial for creating a stable and prosperous society.

Lastly, the leader must navigate the complex world of international relations with deftness. This requires safeguarding Pakistan’s national interests through a balanced approach. Building strong relationships with regional and global partners, while pursuing strategic alliances, will enhance Pakistan’s reputation on the global stage.

Only through a shared vision, led by a capable and unifying leader, can Pakistan overcome its current challenges and navigate towards a brighter future.

In this connection, given below are the outlines of key national objectives and proposals to achieve these objectives through rule-based governance with meritocratic appointments cutting across party lines.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Fifty Years Planning:

As a top most priority, government of Pakistan must immediately embark upon a 50 years national economic and development plan divided into 10 five years plans. This job can be assigned to a task force for completion in shortest possible time with the help of AI tools to be headed by Dr. Ashfaque Hasan Khan from NUST, who is a renowned professional in this field.

2. Reform Taxation System:

Broaden the tax base to include more individuals and businesses. According to Dr. Ikram ul Haq, Pakistan which is a country of 241 million inhabitants, has an extremely narrow tax base; currently at 10 million individuals, out of which 5 million are tax return filers and only 3 million actually pay any tax. He further says that Pakistan’s total potential of tax revenue is PKR 20 trillion which is extremely surprising if compared with the fact that our total budget outlay of FY 23-24 is PKR 14.5 trillion and tax revenue collection target is PKR 9.5 trillion. This also reveals that our budget can be totally free of any new taxes.

• Simplify tax codes and reduce rates to incentivize compliance
• Implement 100% automation to minimize human intervention and corruption

3. Provide Cheap and Speedy Justice:

• Improve judicial infrastructure and increase judge capacity
• Simplify judicial procedures and leverage technology for efficiency
• Enhance police professionalism and accountability to reduce unnecessary litigation

4. Eliminate Street Crime and Terrorism:

• Strengthen police forces with training, technology, and competitive salaries
• Address root causes through poverty alleviation, education, and deradicalization programs
• Ensure swift, transparent, and fair justice through judicial reforms

Street crimes and terrorism can never be eliminated by the sole efforts of the security apparatus. The entire population needs to be involved in this process by education, guidance and extremely lucrative incentives. Moreover, these crimes are also related to alarmingly increased drugs use in all the segments and strata of our society, for which a comprehensive proposal was submitted vide an article titled ‘How to transform – The most heroin addicted country?’

5. Ensure Ruthless Transparency

• Strengthen anti-corruption institutions and empower them to act independently
• Implement mandatory asset declarations for public officials
• Increase public access to government information through open data initiatives

6. Empower Local Governance:

• Grant maximum possible autonomy and resources to division-level units
• Encourage local-level planning and decision-making through citizen participation Improve service delivery in critical areas like healthcare, education, and sanitation

7. Improve Education Quality:

Currently private school expenses have crossed all limits and become unbearably back breaking financial burden for the entire middle and lower middle-class citizens. As such, there is a most urgent and pressing need for improvement of public schools’ standards. Few suggestions are as below:

• Increase public investment in government schools and attract qualified teachers
• Introduce curriculum reforms aligned with 21st-century skills and needs
• Utilize technology for enhanced learning and accessibility

8. Revive Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline and Explore New Options:

• Expedite on top priority, the Pak-Iran gas pipeline project for affordable energy
• Explore undersea gas and petroleum pipelines from the Gulf region
• Promote renewable energy sources for long-term sustainability

9. Promote Paradoxical Agriculture:

Promote PQNK (pronounced as picnic) stands for Paedar Qudratti Nizam Kashatqari, which means sustainable natural farming system (Paradoxical Agriculture):

According to Asif Sharif (father of modern PA/PQNK Process) by adopting PA process Pakistan can generate a surplus of $ 20 billion exportable agricultural produce, whereas, currently we are importing around $ 10 billion food products, which means a net savings of $ 30 billion to the national exchequer. Moreover, PA process also saves 80% precious water resources and brings huge savings in the farmers input costs of all types of chemicals and seed needs.

• Provide farmers with training and resources to adopt water-efficient PA/PQNK techniques
• Introduce various incentives for shifting to Paradoxical farming process
• Provide incentives to farmers for purchase of PA/PQNK machines

10. Prioritize Export Processing Zones:

The secret of Pakistan’s fast track industrial growth lies in the rapid operationalization of maximum possible Export Processing Zones on war footings. In this regard, the following is suggested:

• Streamline procedures and eliminate bureaucratic hurdles for investors
• Offer competitive tax breaks and infrastructure development in designated zones
• Facilitate ease of doing business to attract foreign investment and boost exports

11. Ban Export of Unprocessed Minerals:

Pakistan is lucky to have a geologist Dr. Imran Ahmad Khan who has rare experience of geological survey in Pakistan, India, Spain, China and the USA. He says that our mineral resources are worth about $ 51 trillion, which is almost equal to the combined GDP of USA, China and Japan. In this regard, few suggestions are as below:

• Impose a complete ban (via a parliamentary legislation) on exporting unprocessed minerals
• Invest in local mineral processing industries to add value and create jobs
• Develop a clear policy framework for sustainable mining practices
• Immediately establish a Rare Earth Metal Authority of Pakistan, as all 17 REM’S are non-radioactive.

12. Merge SUPARCO and PAF’s National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP) for speedy catching up with the progress of the regional countries and achieving the following objectives:

• Consolidate resources and expertise in space, AI, and robotics research
• Establish a national focus on technological advancements in these critical fields
• Accelerate Pakistan’s participation in the regional and global technology race

13. Revamp Higher Education System:

• Task HEC with modernizing university curricula and teaching methods
• Promote with policies and incentives the specific research in areas relevant to national development and global challenges
• Encourage collaboration between universities and industry for skills development

14. Eliminate Fake Medicines and Substandard Food Products:

• Establish a robust regulatory framework and strengthen enforcement mechanisms with death penalty for adulteration in food products and manufacturing and selling of substandard and fake medicines
• Invest in food and drugs safety testing labs and adopt strict quality control measures
• Encourage public awareness campaigns about counterfeit products and their dangers

15. Implement Strict Environmental Regulations:

• Enforce existing environmental laws and introduce stricter regulations where needed
• Invest in renewable energy and promote sustainable practices across industries
• Hold polluters accountable through harsh fines and other strict penalties

16. Information Technology:

The world’s tech giants, like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, SAP, and Apple, are constantly seeking new frontiers for innovation and talent. Pakistan presents a compelling opportunity for these companies to establish Global Service Delivery Centers (GSDCs), offering a win-win scenario for both businesses and the nation. In this regard, a task force may be formed to accomplish this task in the minimum possible time, which may be headed by Muhammad Ziaullah Khan Chishti, a world-renowned Pakistani-American investor and business executive who founded Afiniti and TRG Global. He is also a famous inventor at world level on around 150 issued patents by 2018.

17. Fast Track Rejuvenation of CPEC:

Pakistan’s overall industrial revival hinges upon the immediate rejuvenation of CPEC, which is an amazing vehicle and once in a life time golden opportunity for the coming generations. As such, extremely important task force needs to be formed and handed over to the most competent professional with a world view and international acclaim. In this regard, Ambassador (R) Syed Hasan Javed may be considered for appointment as chairman CPEC. He is the only living longest serving diplomat in China where he served for 10 years on two diplomatic assignments. He is also a world acclaimed writer of 10 books. His latest book titled How China Became Rich’ – From Poverty to Prosperity (An Eyewitness Perspective) is a must read for every person in a leadership role in Pakistan. He served as Pakistan’s ambassador in Germany, Singapore and Mauritius. He has also worked as a diplomat in Zimbabwe, Tajikistan and Belgium. While in service, He was trained in higher educational institutions in Belgium, Geneva, Paris, Newport and Hawaii. He speaks fluent Chinese, Persian and has studied a number of other languages including Russian, German, French, and Arabic etc. He is author of several books on China. His books have been translated in Urdu and Chinese languages. He has served for six years as Director, Chinese Studies Centre of Excellence, National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Islamabad. He is the first Paksitani to be awarded National Special Book Award Prize-2021 by China.

It is earnestly expected that by implementing these recommendations and prioritizing the outlined national objectives, Pakistan can realistically achieve significant progress towards becoming a secure, prosperous, and progressive nation within the next decade.

The people of Pakistan have placed their trust in our national leaders. This trust comes with the expectation, not an obligation, that they choose to lead with courage, vision, integrity, and unwavering commitment to building a brighter future for all. Remember, the journey towards a brighter Pakistan requires the collaborative efforts of our leaders and citizens alike. Let us all embrace this opportunity with renewed dedication and optimism.