Despite the general impression
that Pakistan suffers from economic slow down, the KSE-100 index has more than doubled
since June, 1998. It may be true that economic fundamentals are still weak, there seems to
be gradual shift in risk perception. Rescheduling of external debts, reduction in
political uncertainty and efforts of the current economic managers have started showing
signs of restoration of confidence of investors.
MOEEN A. QURESHI
The pressures for
restoration of a democratic setup from outside Pakistan does not matter if the local
people have the acceptance of the policies of the present government, said Moeen A.
Qureshi, former prime minister of Pakistan. A firm and decisive attitude for carrying out
policies and implementation of the reforms is however the key to success for the new
government, he observed.
AGRICULTURE
Leading
agriculturists from Sindh under the banner of the Reformers have the consensus that
Corporate Farming, Price Support Mechanism along with the institutional framework and Crop
Insurance are the steps which needed to be understood and implemented for achieving the
desired level of agriculture performance in Pakistan.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The IT prowess of
arch rival India poses many challenges for Pakistan. India intends to increase its
software exports from $ 4 billion at present to $ 50 billion in 2008. The need to expand
IT base comprising computer technology, communications technology and robotics could
hardly be over-emphasised to avert the widening disparity.
