EDITORIAL

Speaking as chief guest at a dinner hosted for foreign and Pakistani delegates attending the Expo 2005 here, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz came out as an optimist who believes in "re-branding Pakistan to reflect its true value and potential to the world". He said Pakistan was set to attain a growth rate of 8 per cent during the next three years as against 7 per cent today and 6.4 per cent of the last year. The increase in growth rate is, no doubt, the biggest and the most vocal determinant of economic activity in the country, which when compared with the growth rate witnessed in 90s, have come a long way. Macroeconomic stability and structural reforms as pursued by the government have been instrumental in breaking the vicious cycle that had been eating into the fundamentals of the economy and the credit definitely goes to Mr Shaukat Aziz, who initially started as a Finance Minister under very serious circumstances. It was primarily his performance as Finance Minister that established his credentials and resulted in his elevation to be the Prime Minister of the country. His main area of focus has remained economy and rightly so, as it holds the biggest challenge for the country. It is believed that once the economy is restored to its vigour and health, all other issues will be easier to tackle provided there are resources at the government disposal.
The enthusiastic participation in Expo 2005 is itself a manifestation of the fact that Pakistan's soft image is gaining currency the world over. As the Prime Minister himself maintained that many participants would be in a state of shock after having this side of Pakistan. It is unfortunate that for over two decades, the policy makers in Pakistan continued to project the country as a hostile one particularly to its neighbours. Nothing can be far from the truth as a majority of Pakistani nation is peace loving and believe in peaceful co-existence. The economic problems of the country have often been pushed under the carpet, which only galvanized them further, making their solution even more difficult. The reason for this deliberate neglect has been their preference to avoid difficult issues, and instead focus on immediate political gains. This is unprecedented in Pakistan's history as structural reforms have been carried out purely on economic merit, and solutions that were difficult to be taken on fears of political backlash have been taken with conviction and confidence.
The holding of the Expo 2005 should, therefore be seen from a broader perspective. It is maturing of the Pakistan trade and industry and manifestation of the confidence that it is well prepared to face the international and regional competition. That the number of delegates increased the anticipated participation also exhibit the extent of success such seminars have achieved. It will, however, not be irrelevant to raise a point of traffic jams and hardships to Karachiites as a result of security arrangements witnessed on such occasions. It is not to suggest that there should be any lapse so far as foolproof security arrangements are concerned. But to suggest that it is more advisable that law and order situation in the country, particularly in Balochistan should be given the top most priority. As it will perhaps be generally admitted that in the end it is the law and order situation of the country that holds the key, while taking investment decisions in the country.