Business operations at the local, national, and international levels of the private and corporate sectors also remained affected in Pakistan...
THINK PAD
The social, economic, and business activities across the world remained halted or were canceled in 2020. It was a year enveloped by the chaos created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Business operations at the local, national, and international levels of the private and corporate sectors also remained affected in Pakistan. The year 2021 may not bring fruitful results because the economy must recover from the downfall it faced in 2020. However, the government of Pakistan must carve out a national strategy for development. It should be approved by all concerned entities and implemented across the board, in all sectors. While the tussle between the government and the opposition will remain active in all eras, the need of the hour is to bring Pakistan’s socio-economic status on track. This calls for a holistic approach to learn from mistakes, plan while considering available capital and human resource, and take action in the present. A viable and practical strategy should be implemented that ensures that the long-term goals are made in time and actively achieved at the short-term level. The decision-makers and authority figures working at the helms of affairs at various levels of the government – both provincial and federal – must work in unison to pursue the common national strategy.
In this regard, the sectors of education, health, justice, technology, infrastructure, along with energy, growth, and investment, agriculture, manufacturing, fiscal development, capital markets and corporate sector, trade and payments, transport and communications must be focused upon. First, the government must (if there is a need) restructure the departments/sectors by giving the charge to such professionals who have ample experience to handle their respective departments/sectors. This entails that the person in charge should know about what he/she is doing. They should display the acumen to act as a proactive, dedicated manager to handle all crises and take firm decisions when needed. In this regard, the heads of each department/sector/Ministry must exhibit certain character traits. They need to be loyal to their country, to their departments/sectors, and themselves; must remain committed to following the rules, should be proactive, and must be dedicated to bringing constructive results.
Take the education sector, for instance. It needs immediate restructuring. The government must close ghost schools, hire qualified teachers, update the syllabus, enhance the quality of learning, bring all government schools under a common leadership for streamlining of actions, among others. Such steps can only be taken when the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training knows the problems and issues concerning their sector. It should collect and examine data regarding previous shortcomings, come up with the action plan, and take corrective action to bring positive results. Such a strategy model must be adopted by all sectors of Pakistan to ensure that errors are corrected, loopholes are eradicated, practical policies are created, timelines are developed, and the progress of the department/Ministry, sector, sub-department, team, every individual is monitored and evaluated to take timely corrective measures.
The idea here is to rationalize, reorganize and restructure the various key departments of the local, national, provincial, and federal levels. Without identifying the problems, one cannot suggest solutions. Without analyzing past mistakes, one cannot recommend an action plan. Without discussing inadequacies, one cannot create short-term or long-term plans. Without deliberating upon the present, one cannot carve a better future. It is, therefore, imperative for all sectors and their provincial and federal branches to think, coordinate, plan, act, achieve, reflect on mistakes, and repeat the same process to complete each task. The sectors of the country need to work in accord, unity and harmony to respect each other’s concerns and reservations while pursuing a common national strategy to achieve objectives that will eventually bring progress and development to Pakistan.
The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist
