Pakistan Vision 2025, prepared by the Planning Commission of Pakistan, lays down a foundation to put Pakistan on a fast track of development with the ultimate goal of transforming it to become one of top ten economies in the world by 2047. By 2025, it envisions Pakistan among top twenty five economies of the world and a upper middle income country. The 5+7 model, five enablers and seven pillars, offers an integrated formula for development and prosperity
The seven pillars of Vision 2025 are based on the imperatives of embracing change and transformation, and to create new opportunities based on our innate strengths. Delivering the goals of Vision 2025 will require focusing on a number of priority areas especially those that will play a key role in making Pakistan a highly attractive destination for the private sector with a multitude of innovative business opportunities.
The Vision highlights the imbalance between economic development and social development, and suggests policies for improving the socioeconomic indicators of Pakistan. The turnaround from the current state of affairs in most social development indicators including population welfare, poverty, gender mainstreaming, literacy, school enrolment, immunization coverage and access to potable water is promised by investing more in human and social development.
Vision 2025 recognizes the people of Pakistan as our greatest asset and tries to leverage their strengths for growth and development. According to the Vision, our biggest priority has to be to tap the latent energies, potential skills and the passion of Pakistan, nearly 110 Million people below the age of 30, and make them the agents of change.
The realization of the Vision requires simultaneous attention to a number of areas – 7 have been identified as key priority areas or pillars. Each of these finds resonance with one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These pillars are:
A society in which every citizen has the opportunity to transform their quality of life. This requires strengthening human and social capital, which will allow the population to optimally contribute to and effectively benefit from economic growth.
Offer opportunities for achieving better living standards to all Pakistanis irrespective of faith, creed, ethnicity, political affiliation or region. Focus on endogenous factors of growth such as domestic resource mobilization, tax reforms, science, technology and innovation, driving export led growth and attracting foreign direct investment. Developing a united and equitable society through a balanced development approach, social uplift and rapid broad based growth.
Recognizing the importance of sufficient, reliable, clean and cost-effective availability of energy, water and food – for now and the future – and recognizing its indispensability in ensuring sustainable economic growth and development.
Aims at sustained engagement of the private sector, where private investment and entrepreneurship play a leading role in the country’s development. Aims at enabling efficient deployment of private resources and skills to achieve the visualized objectives.
Envisages fundamental improvements in competitiveness across the industrial/manufacturing, services and agricultural sectors. Innovation, value addition and continuous improvement are keys to improving competitiveness.
Establish an efficient and integrated transportation system that will facilitate the development of a competitive economy, ensure inter-provincial high-speed connectivity, integrated road/rail networks between economic hubs (including air, sea and dry ports) and also high-capacity transportation corridors connecting major regional trading partners.
The Vision 2025 is, no doubt, the launching pad for the fulfillment of the SDGs.
As a socially responsible institution, and fully cognizant of its duty to contribute to Pakistan’s socioeconomic development, NUST is eager to play its role in national development and assist the Government in realizing the goals as enshrined in the Vision 2025.
The concept of FICS perfectly aligns with the objectives of Vision 2025. FICS is a program aimed at social development through the use of technology, by mobilizing the youth to find and solve social problems by applying their technical knowledge. It is a well-known fact that without progressing in technology, we cannot join the league of developed nations, an important characteristic of which is exploiting technology to bring about socioeconomic development. If FICS can generate a few good products and services every year, through the combined efforts of Academia, Industry and Government, it can surely contribute to bringing about societal progress; let us not forget that Society is the 4th important component of the Quadruple Helix Model of Innovation, which brings together Academia, Industry, Government and Society, to join hands and collectively bring about social change, social development, technological progress and economic prosperity.
Our talented young boys and girls are brimming with passion and creativity. Here the role of their mentors – academic institutions, Industry partners, and the Government – cannot be overestimated; these mentors have to hone and harness the talent of our students, and polish their ideas by bringing in expertise, experience and financial resources, to make sure that the brilliant ideas see the light of day, and are deployed where they are needed the most, to bring about social change and prosperity.
FICS can eventually become a vehicle to achieve some of the major objectives of the Pakistan Vision 2025.