According to UNDP, only 14 out of 195 countries spend less on education than Pakistan Pakistan currently has the largest generation of young people in its history. According to a recent United Nations Development Program report, 64 percent of the total Pakistan population is below the age of 30. That makes it the second youngest country in South Asia after Afghanistan and one of the youngest in the world. This “youth bulge” provides unique challenges as well as opportunities for the … [Read more...]
Need to develop a world class higher education system in Pakistan
Pakistan has a large higher education system with over 190 recognized private and public sector universities. Unfortunately, no Pakistani university is among the top 600 universities in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019. This is an indication that there is a definite need to improve Pakistan’s higher education system. The need is exacerbated by the fact that the majority of the over 200 million people in the country are young. According to official figures, 64 … [Read more...]
Realising the power of purposeful philanthropy
Pakistan is moving forward on its agenda to become a developed country. To help the country achieve that status and realise its full potential as a democratic nation, the citizens of Pakistan must exercise the power of purposeful philanthropy. Pakistanis are already among the most generous people in the world. The country contributes more than one per cent of its GDP to charity according to the Stanford Social Innovation Review. This is just below the United Kingdom where … [Read more...]
Pakistani Diaspora helping Pakistan achieve its potential
Although the Pakistani diaspora is spread across the world, the government in Islamabad always accords special importance to Pakistani Americans, owing to their contribution towards the country and their influence over policy makers of the United States. Realising the importance of overseas diaspora, Prime Minister Imran Khan has made a passionate appeal to Pakistanis living abroad to donate at least US $1000 for the construction of Diamer Bhasha Dam. Responding to the call, a prominent … [Read more...]
Empowering women to empower a ‘new’ Pakistan
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has come to promising to focus on the country’s human resources to develop a ‘new’ Pakistan. Because women constitute almost half of the Pakistani population, their development is pivotal to Pakistan being able to achieve its true potential as a nation-state. The importance of this empowerment is demonstrated by the fact that a 2016 International Monetary Fund paper estimates that closing the gender gapin economic participation … [Read more...]
Can the PTI initiate an Indo-Pak peace process?
With Imran Khan and Narenda Modi leading Pakistan and India, there is hope for the restoration of a formal peace process Will cricket legend Imran Khan’s ascension to power in Pakistan ease tensions between his homeland and India? Mr Khan, who took the oath to become Pakistan’s 22nd Prime Minister (PM) last week is immensely popular in cricket-crazy India. The rivalry between Pakistan and India is so strong, however, that even he may find it hard to repair the … [Read more...]