What is in the name? Often heard but found the opposite in seeing and hearing. There is something in good name that our provincial and federal governments come up with such names for their various projects that a person is sure that after this, everything will be fine… Educated Punjab, Sathra Punjab, Green Punjab. The latest beautiful name of this series was revealed at the beginning of the new year in the form of the next five-year development plan “Adaan”.
Announcing the next five-year plan on the first day of the new year, the Prime Minister gave the details of the plan. As always the details of such projects are delightful, so Udaan was thrilled to hear all the goals of the project. After listening to these goals, if anyone thinks that the prime minister and his party were in government many times during the last 35 years, why could not these happy goals be achieved? He also clearly explained that Indian Prime Minister and former Finance Minister late Dr. Manmohan Singh had adopted the economic model of Nawaz Sharif that India was able to develop so much!!
For almost 50 years before this announcement by the Prime Minister, we have been hearing that South Korea is also indebted to us for its economic development. Their economic development is owed to the five-year plan taught by us, which their experts learned from us in the early 60s, but the secret could never be revealed that if South Korea had really learned from us. What is the reason why we have made such amazing progress, then how can we stay knee to knee! Why did Dr. Manmohan Singh succeed in reversing the Indian economy in the 90s by adopting Nawaz Sharif’s model of economic development, but our case was not Zemin Junbad or Gul Muhammad Wala.
The Muslim League is fortunate in that its ranks include scholars like Dr. Ahsan Iqbal and Prof. Tibb. In 1998, Dr. Ahsan Iqbal was in charge of the Planning Commission and for the first time he presented a great plan titled Vision 2010. The goals were very pleasing and the details very pleasant. However, it is a coincidence that after that the light of political lamps went out due to disruption in the supply of political lamps. In 2013, when he was given this position again, he once again buckled down and presented a new plan titled Vision 2025.
It was not even the fourth year of this project that the Panama scandal broke out, all political reasons were put on hold and the political barrenness was once again… this is the same place we had passed from where we were. Now for the third time when he got this opportunity again, Dr. Ahsan Iqbal, full of money, has presented another plan, which is a five-year development plan, but he has given it the name “Adaan” worthy of extraordinary goals.
This flight project contains the same economic goals in a new context that have been part of all previous vision documents. According to the new vision, by 2030, the current size of the economy has been increased from 300/350 billion dollars to one trillion dollars. In the next five years, the target of the projects is 60 billion dollars. It is planned to increase the volume of IT exports to five billion dollars.
The target is to increase the literacy rate by 10%. The program is based on five main pillars, namely exports, manufacturing, agriculture, investment, building the economy on e-systems, reforms, the spread of IT, improving governance, reducing corruption and building such an economic infrastructure. The economic benefits of which can reach as many people as possible.
Who can deny these goals but there is no denying the fact that for the last 35/40 years we have been going round in circles in the futile journey of economy and politics. Such auspicious promises and visions were made in the past as well, were well publicized, and little action was taken, but after that the seriousness of the ground realities swallowed them up. Economic stability requires political stability, strong institutions, effective legal system, conducive business environment and effective infrastructure.
Globalization over the past 30 years has greatly increased regional trade, investment and international flows. If you look at the trade data of different countries, most of the trade volume of most countries is based on trade with neighboring countries, but the Ganga has been flowing backwards in our country for the last 50 years. Trafficking is on the rise. Legal trade with neighboring countries is minimal. Without better relations with regional countries, the dream of trade expansion will remain just a dream.
The Prime Minister and his party often mention the need for a contract economy. In retrospect, this is a superficial narrative. From the point of view of various economic indicators, the economic structure of our country is built on obsolescence, agriculture and manufacturing are stagnant, the tax culture is stagnant as in the past, the drumbeat of reforms is good but the implementation is almost zero. The electricity and gas system is riding on the neck of the entire economy.
After the 8th amendment, a large part of the economic system is the responsibility of the provinces, despite getting a large share of the resources after the 18th amendment, the record of the provinces in improving the system and economy is disappointing. Say… a dialect of Punjabi language goes like this:
Don’t go to my brown color
Mom calls me the moon
(Do not go to my pale color, mother calls me moon in praise of my beauty). The government has prepared this project with such desire, that’s why the project was named Udan, but the bitter reality is that until integrated strategies, organized policies and a favorable political environment are available to achieve these goals, it will not be possible. The status of the flight project is not the same as the previous projects, what is only in the name!
