ISLAMABAD: Vice President of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Senator Sherry Rehman, while addressing the Pakistan Governance Forum, stated that effective and strong governance has become more important than ever amid the current global turmoil.
She said the multilateral global system has weakened, and the world is facing the highest number of conflicts since the Second World War. According to her, uncertainty and power politics have pushed global diplomacy into the background.
Senator Rehman noted that Pakistan has been fighting a prolonged war against terrorism since 2008 and has paid a heavy price for it. Despite ongoing security challenges, she said, Pakistan has made significant progress in the field of foreign policy.
Highlighting domestic challenges, she stated that uncontrolled population growth and the provision of employment opportunities to youth remain the country’s biggest internal challenges. With an unemployment rate of 7 percent, she emphasized that creating at least three million jobs annually is imperative.
She stressed that sustainable stability is not possible without economic growth and employment generation. “No other country will come to rescue us; Pakistan must rely on its own resources and strengthen itself,” she said.
Senator Rehman further pointed out that Balochistan and the Sindh delta are facing severe water scarcity and environmental stress. Climate change has become a serious threat to Pakistan, and the country has crossed the threshold of resource scarcity, she warned.
She also highlighted that out of a Rs17 trillion budget, Rs8.2 trillion is being spent on debt servicing, reflecting severe fiscal pressure. With a limited Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), achieving development targets is not feasible, she added.
She concluded by stating that without empowering and activating the private sector, the target of generating three million jobs annually cannot be achieved. Efficient utilization of limited resources and structural reforms, she said, are the foundation of good governance.
