BTTN SEMINAR ” THE OBSTACLES IN PAKISTAN’S SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMICAL DEVELOPMENT” ON 8TH MAY 2023 HELD AT BUITEMS UNIVERSITY, QUETTA, BALOCHISTAN
AMBASSADOR (R) QAZI M. KHALILULLAH
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN CISSS
SESSION I
Chair Opening Remarks (Ambassador Qazi M. Khalilullah (R), Executive Director Center for International Strategic Studies Sindh)
Brig Agha Ahmad Gul, Consultant BTTN
Dr. Zafar Khan, Executive Director BTTN
Distinguished Speakers
Dear Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
Asalamu Alaikum
It is a matter of honour and pleasure for me to Chair the first session of the Seminar. Thank you for the invitation.
In his comprehensive and insightful opening address, Brig Agha Ahmad Gul (R), inter alia, underscored the Fault Lines of Pakistan’s System of Governance. I will therefore refrain from relisting them. They have also been identified in the very well drafted Concept Paper prepared by BTTN for this Seminar.
Let me therefore mention a few areas where Pakistan has done well and successfully dealt with serious challenges, including existential threats.
Every Pakistani is proud of our Strategic Program which has guaranteed our national security. We have successfully used nuclear and space technologies for sustainable socio-economic development. We have effectively dealt with the menace of terrorism at very heavy human and material costs. Our cooperation with the international community in combating terrorism is recognized globally. Although terrorism has resurfaced recently, it is a small fraction of what we experienced when foreign forces were in Afghanistan.
However, Pakistan’s preset political, economic and financial predicament is a cause of serious concern to everyone. Political instability despite 75 years of existence and experimentation with different economic models by democratic governments and undemocratic regimes have brought us to the edge of a precipice.
Both political stability and economic prosperity can be achieved if political parties of Pakistan, rising above their party interests, agree on a long-term Good Governance Charter through dialogue. Although it is easier said than done, let me talk about key elements of such a Charter and make some suggestions about their contents.
(1) VISION AND CORE VALUES
These could include:
(i)Governing the country in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution; (ii) According priority to national interests over personal and party interests; (iii) Upholding human dignity (need to do away with the thana culture); (iv) Becoming a law-abiding nation. It is pertinent to mention here that in a 2021 report of the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, Pakistan was at 130th position out of 139 nations in adherence to the rule of law, 124th in civil justice system and 108th in criminal justice system;
(ii)Ensuring speedy and fair justice for all and across-the-board accountability. Let me recall here that during WWII, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was informed that bombing by German Air Force had caused “death and destruction” and almost all economic activity had collapsed in the country.
Churchill observed that if the courts were functioning and judges were attending courts, nothing could go wrong. The people of Pakistan need that kind of confidence in our judiciary;
(iii) Introducing a social contract on the basis of the state and citizens fulfilling their respective obligations. Let me recall here that in his inaugural address, US President John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you- Ask what you can do for your country”; and
(iv) Holding free and fair elections and respecting mandate given by the people of Pakistan.
(2) ECONOMIC STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
This element could focus on:
- Getting out of the debt trap by ensuring that imports in any fiscal year do not exceed an agreed percentage of total export earnings, remittances and anticipated financial inflows in foreign exchange.
This may be codified into a law. It is pertinent to mention here that, in the US, the ruling Administration requires Congressional approval for enhancing country’s debt ceiling;
- Investing, on priority, in emerging technologies that hold the promise of enhancing foreign exchange earnings and reducing import bill; and
Iii. Investing in new nuclear power plants to reduce fuel import bill. In terms of production cost, nuclear energy is the cheapest after hydroelectric power. In terms of fuel cost, it is the cheapest.
It is estimated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could contribute more than 20 trillion dollars to the global economy by 2030. Pakistan has so far taken only small steps in this direction. In 2018, Government of Pakistan provided seed money of Rs 1.1 billion to start a 3-year project on AI, under the supervision of Higher Education Commission (HEC).
Nine AI labs in six public sector universities have been established under this funding in NUST, Comsats Institute of Information Technology University, NED University Karachi, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore and University of Punjab.
Pakistan has over 600,000 IT professionals, 17,000 software companies providing services to over 120 countries, and earned US$3 billion from IT exports last year. However, the number of companies and startups providing services and developing products in the AI space is relatively small. To bridge the industry-academia gap and motivate the youth to pursue research and education in AI, we must train some of our existing 600,000 IT professionals in AI and create more centers like the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), located on the main campus of NUST, Islamabad. It has become a leading hub of innovation and scientific research in AI in Pakistan.
In short, we need to invest heavily in emerging technologies and establish dedicated universities and training centers at both federal and provincial levels on priority. This could be achieved as part of the 10-year roadmap for accelerated adoption of AI in Pakistan being developed by the 15-Member National Task Force on AI recently established by the Government of Pakistan.
(3) PUBLIC SERVICE
This element must include measures to: (i) Restore trust of people in public service; (ii) Eradicate corruption; (iii) Provide free of cost quality education and health services; (iv) Improve infrastructure and transportation services; (v) Improve security situation and eliminate crime including street crime, (vi) Ensure effective and fair administration; (vii) Ensure transparency, accessibility and accountability at all levels; and (viii) Promote merit-based induction.
(4) MONITORING MECHANISM
Before saying anything about monitoring mechanism, let me quote well-known American science fiction writer Ramez Naam, who had this to say on good governance: “We have seen over time that countries that have the best economic growth are those that have good governance, and good governance comes from freedom of communication. It comes from ending corruption. It comes from a populace that can go online and say, ‘this politician is corrupt, this administrator, or this public official is corrupt.”
Obviously, it is not easy to apply Ramez Naam’s definition of good governance in Pakistan, for obvious reasons. So, what is the solution?
The use of AI in monitoring mechanisms can offer a solution. It is certainly possible to develop algorithms to evaluate the performance of public servants, politicians, judges etc. on the basis of their job respective job description and performance parameters. Let machines say what human beings cannot in Pakistan, that this politician or public official is corrupt. AI can also be used to evaluate how funds given to elected representatives for development schemes in their respective constituencies are spent.
Thank you!