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Just invest in talent, invest in the economy, allow people and firms to grow.
On CPEC:
CPEC, or the Beltway Initiative, those are powerful opportunities. But another
Aitchisonian, Atif Mian, has asked about this, and others have written about this as
well, whether we are truly getting what we should be getting out of our relationship
with China. If they are only manufacturing products and giving them to you, then you
are not acquiring any learning. You are not benefiting from any knowledge transfer or
any capacity building. So, its less about whether you do a China deal or not, it’s how
you do it. This has always been our problem, we have good partnerships that we
create, but when we negotiate, I feel we negotiate for the wrong things. When
someone comes to your house and is in a position to help, you can either ask them
to help feed your family for a few days, or you can ask them to help create
opportunities for your family to earn better livelihoods. And I feel that we invariably
ask for the former, it may tide us over for a while but it will have only short term
advantages, no lasting benefit. So even with China, that’s the way I would think
about it.
On the potential and promise of Pakistan’s youth:
One reason why I am talking to you all and the fact that I am involved with the Center
of Economic Research in Pakistan, is that I genuinely think Pakistan’s comparative
advantage in the world is actually, funnily enough, that we have a young population.
Because the world is ageing and they are really struggling with ageing.
I think Pakistan is exactly at that stage where the world is going to be looking
towards younger talented people, to recruit, whether physically, or virtually. The world
requires that talent. And the question for Pakistan is whether Pakistan will be able to
address that need? The answer is youth. Will we be able to respond to that need?
Sometimes, we think only in the short term. In policy making we have to be able to
project forward ten or twenty years.
And celebrate talent. Wherever you find it, celebrate talent.
You build national discourse on positive talented stories.
But you know, a rising population can also pose a challenge. You have to be able to
equip them, provide them with talent and ultimately, provide them with jobs. A failure
to do that can lead to frustration, to increased crime and possibly to militancy. You
know, the idle mind is the devil’s workshop, so it’s a two edged sword. It could be an
amazing asset, it could be a massive liability. And it’s how you deal with it. Right?
And this is the moment.