Monday, September 23, 2019

Imran Wants To Lift 100 Million Pakistanis Out Of Poverty



So says Imran. I think he can get it done. Not only that, I don't see anyone else on the horizon who can get it done. How will he be able to get it done? Here are my ideas.
  1. Peace with India. This is the most important thing. Unless India and Pakistan can figure out a way to create lasting peace, Pakistan will have it tough. And the formula for peace is that both agree that the Line Of Control will be the final border, and both will compete with each other to bring democracy and human rights to Kashmiris on both sides. Then they have to focus on trade and gradually, over time, get the troops away from their borders. 
  2. Peace in Afghanistan. I'd say to Imran, break the rule and talk to the Taliban. There is something about this Pathan Saheb that the Pakistani Army Chief plays ball with him, and looks like the Taliban want to respectfully talk to him. Let them. The formula for peace there is like what happened in Nepal. The Maoists and the Nepal Army were at war. Peace meant the two armies got combined and became one. Incorporate the Taliban fighters into the Afghan Army even if that means a huge defense budget. Peace is worth the price. 
  3. Peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The status quo is unsustainable. And this is way beyond the scope of Imran's capabilities. The PMO office in Pakistan has a hard enough time dealing with internal villains. But in a 10-year timeframe I hope he does play a role here, a role there to bring about a fruitful outcome. 
  4. Law and order inside Pakistan. This means unless you are a soldier or a police officer, you don't get to carry a gun inside Pakistan. Zero tolerance for terrorist groups. He really has to lead the Pakistani army here. When Imran's hero and role model Nitish Kumar came to power in Bihar in 2005, he only said, "Law and order!" That is all he said when he ran for office, and that is all he worked on for the first few years. Nitish knew that unless he could restore law and order, nothing else he does really matters. Next thing you know, he had put 70,000 people behind bars. 
  5. Infrastructure. That road that China is building is key. It will transform Pakistan. It will unify Pakistan. I am for robust federalism in Pakistan. I am not for breaking Pakistan into smaller pieces, a fantasy of some Hindu fanatics in India. After law and order, Nitish focused on building roads. Roads, roads and more roads. When Deng Xiaoping started his reforms in China, his first mantra was, lay down train tracks everywhere. Infrastructure is important. 
  6. Health and education. This is another place where Bill and Melinda Gates are huge fans of Nitish Kumar. I believe Imran Khan is making all the right noise here and making the right moves. I wish him all the best. 
  7. 5G. This is where you want to take your bathroom trip when Donald Trump starts talking about Huawei. If the Chinese want to steal Pakistani secrets, let them. That might be a stealth way of forcing them to learn Urdu. But get 5G done. And Huawei has the best deal in the market by a wide margin. Blanket Pakistan with 5G. This is more important than train tracks and roads and bridges. 5G is the most important infrastructure today. If you blanket the land with 5G, you will be able to do in 10-15 years, what China did in 30. 
  8. Ease of Doing Business. Here, learn from Modi. The guy has helped India climb up the ranks. 



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