By Sikander Hayat
I have just come back from Pakistan and here are my impressions about the state of the country. I was located in Multan, a city which is part of the Saraiki speaking belt and is situated in Southern Punjab, and Multan was completely peaceful with people busy doing business and making their lives. Same was case with Lahore, capital of the Punjab province and Islamabad (the federal capital of Pakistan).
Pakistan is a country with 170 million people and about 8 times larger than Great Britain so some instances of serious nature do take place here and there but saying that Pakistan is going to fail in one way or another is a deeply flawed argument which is full of holes in it.
Pakistani economy is vibrant and resistant to any recessionary pressures from outside world mainly because its fundamentals are strong and overseas Pakistanis who are feeling the financial crunch in their adopted countries are bring the money back into the country.
Even in Multan, international banks like, HSBC, RBS, Standard Chartered are making a lot of money, international food chains like KFC and Pizza Hut are doing a roaring business despite the fact that that they charge the same amount in Pakistan as they do in London or Paris.
All these places are full to the brim and this is just the story of Multan which is considered a medium economic contributor to Pakistan as Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad which are the economic powerhouses of Pakistan have everything that you wish for. All major international banks and financial institutions are represented there with all the international consumer brands (luxury and non luxury) are doing good business. 
Land prices are soaring and it is hard to find office space because of the abundances of small businesses. Sectors which are making a lot of money are banking and financial sector in general, motor industry and farming (especially the dairy products).
I have been so impressed with the health of the businesses that I have decided to invest in Multan myself and start a business. I shall keep you updated with progress on that front later as it unfolds. If you are a foreign or overseas Pakistani looking to invest then this is a very good time to do that provided that you have a full time representative or a partner who can look after your affairs in the country.
I have found that international media has not really told the truth about Pakistan and its political and economic situation otherwise they would not have portrayed the picture that they are portraying.
I cannot deny the fact that there are political problems in the North Western Frontier Province but this area contribute less than 10% to the Pakistan in economic value, population and geographical spread. Why the progress made by 90% of the country is ignored? Why no one acknowledges that in last 60 years there has never been a year when Pakistani economy did not grow more than 3% (in most years it was more than 5%)?
Every country has its problems but how the picture is portrayed is very important. Vested interests in the West and India have paid good money to lobbying groups to create a picture which is not present actually.
Pakistan will become to India what Japan is to China; a highly developed economy which is not dependent on size of the population but the skills of its people. It will take time but sure enough Pakistan is going in the right direction.
I have just come back from Pakistan and here are my impressions about the state of the country. I was located in Multan, a city which is part of the Saraiki speaking belt and is situated in Southern Punjab, and Multan was completely peaceful with people busy doing business and making their lives. Same was case with Lahore, capital of the Punjab province and Islamabad (the federal capital of Pakistan).
Pakistan is a country with 170 million people and about 8 times larger than Great Britain so some instances of serious nature do take place here and there but saying that Pakistan is going to fail in one way or another is a deeply flawed argument which is full of holes in it.
Pakistani economy is vibrant and resistant to any recessionary pressures from outside world mainly because its fundamentals are strong and overseas Pakistanis who are feeling the financial crunch in their adopted countries are bring the money back into the country.
Even in Multan, international banks like, HSBC, RBS, Standard Chartered are making a lot of money, international food chains like KFC and Pizza Hut are doing a roaring business despite the fact that that they charge the same amount in Pakistan as they do in London or Paris.
All these places are full to the brim and this is just the story of Multan which is considered a medium economic contributor to Pakistan as Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad which are the economic powerhouses of Pakistan have everything that you wish for. All major international banks and financial institutions are represented there with all the international consumer brands (luxury and non luxury) are doing good business. 
Land prices are soaring and it is hard to find office space because of the abundances of small businesses. Sectors which are making a lot of money are banking and financial sector in general, motor industry and farming (especially the dairy products).
I have been so impressed with the health of the businesses that I have decided to invest in Multan myself and start a business. I shall keep you updated with progress on that front later as it unfolds. If you are a foreign or overseas Pakistani looking to invest then this is a very good time to do that provided that you have a full time representative or a partner who can look after your affairs in the country.
I have found that international media has not really told the truth about Pakistan and its political and economic situation otherwise they would not have portrayed the picture that they are portraying.
I cannot deny the fact that there are political problems in the North Western Frontier Province but this area contribute less than 10% to the Pakistan in economic value, population and geographical spread. Why the progress made by 90% of the country is ignored? Why no one acknowledges that in last 60 years there has never been a year when Pakistani economy did not grow more than 3% (in most years it was more than 5%)?
Every country has its problems but how the picture is portrayed is very important. Vested interests in the West and India have paid good money to lobbying groups to create a picture which is not present actually.
Pakistan will become to India what Japan is to China; a highly developed economy which is not dependent on size of the population but the skills of its people. It will take time but sure enough Pakistan is going in the right direction.
That's right. You gain a more accurate impression by perceiving the ground realities, trends and long-term potential. The biased western media on the other hand is giving undue coverage to isolated incidents and peripheral problems that are not really that significant in the wider context.
ReplyDeleteAsia is where the new powerhouses will be located following the inevitable demise of the US due to financial collapse. With China destined to be the next superpower, and the fact that Pakistan has better relations with China than does India, the future looks promising here.
Why do want to rely on relationship with China. One of the major problem with Pakistani leadership is relience on other countries, first it was US not it is China. In future, Pakistan and Pakistanis will detest China the same way it is detesting US. India is more self-relient and independent. You never know India will be more or equivalent to China in the near future. I think Pakistan should be more self-relient for peace and prosperity of its people and the reason.
ReplyDelete- From an Indian