LONDON: Former State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) governor Reza Baqir said Pakistan must abandon conspiracy theories and embrace contextual truth to progress.
The former SBP chief identified three policy and discourse misconceptions in Pakistan. The London School of Economics student union held the Future of Pakistan Conference 2023, where he spoke (LSE).
Michal Kugelman, General (retired) Haroon Aslam, Farzana Shaikh, Dr. Amber Daar, Ali Farid Khawaja, and Judge Ayesha Malik also spoke during various sessions.
Reza Baqir identified three “myths” that hinder Pakistan’s progress that civilians must reject: there is a larger conspiracy against Pakistan that hinders our progression; international institutions like the IMF are to blame for Pakistan’s problems; and Pakistan is a unique country with unique problems. Reza Baqir claimed our neighbours have greater GDPs and debts.
Example: a country can grow with bigger debts. He added that debt by itself is not a problem, there are nations with higher debt than Pakistan. But if the debt currency is foreign and the government takes it, the money would flow out of reserves, he added. Therefore you have to allow your exchange rates float freely and not try to regulate them.
Dr. Farzana Sheikh at Conference
Dr. Farzana Sheikh, a Pakistani researcher, informed the conference that since the April 2018 Vote of No Confidence (VNC) against Imran Khan, Pakistan has been in chaos due to political, economic, flood, and terrorism issues.
According to Farzana, the people criticise military for placing Khan in office, while Imran Khan has accused the military of bringing down his administration through a US-led conspiracy.
At this point, General (retired) Haroon Aslam argued that Pakistan was a military state since the law of necessity was specialised in military operations.
The military is blamed for most of Pakistan’s issues, yet it has not ordered the civilian administration and bureaucrats to stop working.
Michael Kugelman argued Pakistan should abandon the Theory of Necessity to advance. He claimed that unelected forces have ruled Pakistan for most of its history, punishing dissidents and journalists.
Judge Ayesha Malik discussed her experiences as a female lawyer and superior court judge with Dr. Amber Darr.
Moreover, She mentioned her rulings that favored women and children in custody battles.
