NON-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are essential actors of socio-economic progress. They are playing a progressive role in a nation’s development, trade and economic landscape by investing in literacy, digital education and technical skills. In contemporary times, they have emerged as a productive and capable force for the country’s healthy economy. They have the potential to help in public service delivery, empower marginalized communities and promote trade and economic growth by creating resilient, skilled workforces and advocating for sustainable, equitable business policies.
In the same way, the Regional Insights Forum (RIF) is a newly established independent think tank based in Islamabad for research and analysis on a knowledge-based economy and is dedicated to dialogue on geo-economic and regional connectivity. It is committed to empowering trade and commercial activities in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade and Commerce and aims to act as a bridge for critical market gaps and foster sustainable business practices. It is providing services for business and professional training to unskilled labour to boost workforce productivity and improve the quality of labour for local and national markets. In contemporary times, developing countries alone cannot enhance and promote their economy and trade to increase employment, attract foreign investment and improve overall living standards. In this regard, the independent and private sector is willing to assist the government in achieving sustainable growth, enhancing economic diplomacy, optimizing domestic infrastructure and fostering a competitive, export-driven environment.
In the present time, the government’s economic condition is very alarming because of IMF restrictions and its economic policies are under pressure due to large-scale fiscal deficits. These policies remain severely constrained by unsustainable debt-servicing costs, which consume the majority of federal revenues. This structural bottleneck forces policymakers to rely on heavy borrowing and strict IMF bailout conditions, limiting the government’s ability to drive meaningful development and growth. In this situation, only the private sector or independent research-oriented institutions can provide better services for structural recovery by boosting exports to Afghanistan and Iran, which are the nearest sources of foreign exchange and can help expand the tax base. They can also help the government improve trade policies, including the removal of market barriers and protection of workers’ and consumers’ rights.
Therefore, the country’s elite must remember that the present era is geo-economic, not geo-political, because geopolitics is complicated and dangerous. However, geo-economics has a long and rich academic track record with benefits for nations through trade and business. Leading nations are expanding their economies and seeking to expand business with other countries to gain capital flows and access new markets for finished goods. In this situation, Pakistan must avoid remaining in a war economy, which is cost-oriented and does not benefit the country. This is why experts recommend that Pakistan prioritize economic connectivity over security-centric policies so that the country can generate far greater national wealth, earn foreign exchange, attract valuable foreign investment and foster regional stability.
—The writer is a defence and security analyst based in Islamabad.
