Loot and plunder
March 10, 2021
In the garb of democracy and freedom, many countries in the developing world, including Pakistan, have been manipulated to install corrupt governments.
The leaders have then looted and plundered at will, and this ill-gotten wealth has then been stashed in housing states and bank accounts in foreign lands. This amounts to trillions of dollars which have boosted Western economies while developing countries have sunk lower and lower in poverty and deprivation. The huge economic drain that occurred in India during the British Raj has been estimated at the colossal figure of some $43 trillion. This process continued even after countries were made ‘independent’ since pseudo democracies were installed. As a result, the wealth of the developing countries continues to be sucked into Western economies.
Innovative development
February 24, 2021
In order for Pakistan to emerge from the quagmire of poverty, hunger, and foreign debt, we need to migrate to a strong knowledge economy. About 67 percent of our population of 220 million is below the age of 30 which gives us a huge demographic advantage. To move forward, we must declare a National Education Emergency and invest massively in education, science, technology and innovation
In such an effort, the government has a pivotal role to play by ensuring universal literacy, establishing good technical and vocational schools, and setting up world class universities with Centers of Excellence in selected fields. We must also establish a strong national network of technology parks to allow new technologies to be promoted through business and technology incubators. Such an effort will require access to venture capital funds to promote innovation and entrepreneurship through new start-up companies. We will also need to establish industrial
An amazing world
January 13, 2021
The socio-economic development of nations today hinges on the ability of their leaders to formulate suitable policies and transfer precious resources from various sectors to education, science, technology and innovation so that a strong knowledge economy can materialise. This is because natural resources have diminishing importance as ideas are transformed into novel products and processes.
About a decade ago, a team of 20 scientists led by Craig Venter in the US created the world s first synthetic life form in a landmark experiment. This opened the door for organisms that can be built in the laboratory rather than through evolution. Very soon afterwards, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna discovered one of the sharpest tools in gene technologies. These molecular scissors, named CRISPR/Cas9, led to the two scientists being awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This exciting discovery allows researchers to alter the DNA of animals, p
In today’s world, knowledge has become the key driver for socio-economic development. Nations are no longer built just by investing in brick and mortar, roads and bridges, or dams and power.