MUNIR AHMED
ISLAMABAD – Imran Khan is fast becoming the first choice national leadership for the Pakistanis living in the United States and the UK because of the slogan of change in society, said Dr Arslan Ramzi, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Monday.
He was talking to Dateline after a discussion at the Safma. Ramzi is at the UMASS since 2004 after doing his PhD in Economics from the American university the same year.
He did his MS in the Civil/Transportation Engineering from the University of Texas in 1996, and BS Civil Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Taxila, in 1995. He has research interests in open economy macroeconomics, international trade, development economics, political economy of growth and distribution, history of economic thought.
Ramzi said, “The rise of Khan shows people’s concerns over the corrupt practices of the top leadership in every sphere of life in Pakistan including politics, bureaucracy, army, and business.”
“Pakistani Diaspora in the foreign countries is more concerned with the prevailing state of affairs in Pakistan, and want a visible and sustainable change but through a democratic process.”
He was optimistic the present government would complete its tenure. However, he said the government would not be able to control the damage done to its rapport.
Corruption will continue to haunt the successive governments for decades to come, whether it is that of Imran Khan or some other leader.
“Look at Khan. He has been surrounded by all the rejected and dejected elements. The old workers have been pushed to backbenches and the newcomers are calling the shot. Would they really make a difference as one expected of them?” he asked.
He further said, the middleclass is a reality and it would shape the future of the politics as well as the country. The two mainstream parties and the military regimes have been tried and tested but all in vain, he said.
“Rise of the right wing is not a phenomenon in Pakistan alone; it is also evident from the Arab-spring and in other countries of the region. According to him, the lawyers’ movement in 2007 was mainly run by the right wing, and as a result tilted the Supreme Court towards the right. Pakistan’s military except some of the top-ranking officers all are from the right wing. Pakistan future tends to be the right wing unless something very unusual happens,” Ramzi said.
On macroeconomic measures, he suggested three immediate steps including enhancing the tax-base, improving growth rate by giving incentives to industry, and land reforms. He believes in the days to come pressure would continue to mount on the US all over the world for its policies.
“It would curtail its influence on the world which otherwise has become almost uni-polar. The economic rise of China and India would be focus of the world bringing more stability in the region. Pakistan can also benefit from the overall economic scenario with steadfast financial and capital mechanisms.”
Published in Dateline Islamabad, Jan 10, 2012
http://www.dateline.com.pk/epaper/index.php?date=2012-01-10&page_no=4
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