Economy of Pakistan: Challenges and Way Forward

NUST Institute of Policy Studies organized the lecture titled “The economy of Pakistan: Challenges and way forward” on Wednesday, the 4th of November, 2021. Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan, veteran economist and academic, contextualized the economic struggles of Pakistan and what measures Pakistan must take to steer the economy in the right direction.

The event provided a useful occasion for experts, scholars, and students to recognize the context of Pakistan’s economic problems and possible solutions. A stable economic growth before 1988-89 in Pakistan witnessed a nosedive by the introduction of IMF’s structural adjustment programs. Therefore, it is imperative for the policymakers to evaluate the country’s economic policies, ensure pragmatic reforms, and stabilize economy by minimizing dependence on external involvement. Institutions, in particular those dealing with the economic policy, have to be safeguarded and provided with trained workforce for meeting this purpose. Pakistan’s dividends must be optimized under the patronage of competent leadership having “faith, discipline, and selfless devotion to the duty,” as professed by the founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The resourceful land of Pakistan will then become one of the best world economies.