Dr Sami Ullah
PAKISTAN is going through a very difficult period at the moment as all our economic indicators are deteriorating, leading to a negative trend in GDP growth and an increase in youth unemployment. The biggest reason for this is the lack of education as well as the wrong direction of government priorities. It is observed that there is decline in Pakistan’s per capita income and investment, and an increase in the debt burden has created many problems. Most of our policies are focused on winning the number game while economic stability has never been a priority. That is why Pakistan has been in economic turmoil for more than 70 years and has not seen economic stability. Currently, the world’s largest companies are producing more than many countries output, including Wal-Mart’s annual receipts of US$ 525 billion, Amazon’s US$ 282 billion, Toyota’s US$ 272 billion, Apple’s 262 billion, by creating jobs for the millions of people. On the other hand, there are countries like Pakistan where 210 million people are collectively producing only US$ 270 billion. It is worth mentioning here that the annual output of many companies is more than the total GDP of Pakistan. One of the major reasons for this is the lack of research and development activities as Pakistan spends only 0.3% of its annual GDP on research, which lies in the lowest range in the world.
In such an environment, many researchers are serving the country and the younger generation beyond their means and there are almost no facilities for such people at the national level. Due to this, many Pakistanis are leaving their country and demonstrating their talents abroad and paying back in the development of the country through remittances. Many Pakistanis are currently working in the best institutions in the world and their services are commendable. It is also important to mention here that if our people are given facilities, their performance can be better than any other nation. Our people have played a significant role in every field as; Dr. Mehboob-ul-Haq has created the Human Development Index and the whole world is using it for developmental achievements. Two of our people have won the world’s largest Nobel Prize. Pakistan also has the honor of having the youngest technologists.
When it comes to economy and research, it would be unfair not to mention Dr Muhammad Shahbaz as he is a young Pakistani economist who has worked as Professor of Economics and Head of the Energy Center in France. Dr. Shahbaz is currently working as Professor of Economics at the Beijing Institute of Technology and is one of the 10 best researchers in Asia. He is the only Pakistani economist to have published more than 400 research articles in the world’s best journals and more than 24,000 articles around the world have cited his work as reference. In addition, he is the only Pakistani to have presented more than 70 research themes in international conferences throughout the globe. It is worth mentioning that Dr. Shahbaz has been selected for post-doctorate and research fellow at the world’s best Cambridge University after receiving all his education from Pakistan till his PhD.
If Dr Shahbaz can prove his mettle in the world under such circumstances, it means that we do not have shortage of talent. Even Turkish Presidency has awarded him “Best Researcher of 2019” and such sort of medals are helping in developing the repute of Pakistan. The whole world is benefiting from the research of our scholars, so why not we. We must value our skilled people and present them as role model in society that will be a source of confidence for the younger generation. When our society gives a high status to skilled people, it will inspire new researchers and not less than a beacon for our backward countries. The government urgently needs to increase the research fund as well as set up research centres in various fields which will give an opportunity to the young generation to showcase their skills. Pakistan is known in the world as a “young country” because more than 60% of our people are under 30 years of age. Through research, if we can just develop a new product and sell it to the whole world, it can become a source of growth and prestige for the country along with increasing employment. There is dire need to develop standardized research centres in collaboration with international institutions for the sustainability of Pakistan.
—The writer is Assistant Professor in Economics, University of Gujrat, Pakistan.
