Islamabad, Aug 19 (IANS) President Pervez Musharraf will Tuesday release a ‘Vision 2030’ document envisaging “political freedom and economic justice” to make Pakistan a developed nation.
The document, prepared by the Planning Commission, aims at making Pakistan a developed, industrialised and prosperous nation enjoying democracy and freedom of expression within one generation, Dawn reported Sunday.
Official sources told the newspaper that the president had turned down a proposal to limit the launch to state-controlled media, saying that the document needed a “national debate”.
It advises the rulers to overcome the “democracy deficit” in order “to restore trust between the state and the people”.
It asks the rulers “to ensure accountability of all organs of the state to avoid democratic disruptions as happened in the past”.
“Pakistan needs to provide political freedom, economic justice and opportunity and cultural, religious and intellectual expression to its people,” the document urges.
It says the country needs to cross three benchmarks – independence of the judiciary, efficiency of the government and quality of the bureaucracy.
It seeks commitment of the rulers to create “a just society” if Pakistan is to be counted among developed countries. “The government has been urged to ensure rule of law and access to justice for every citizen,” an official said.
The official said billions of rupees were required to realise the vision for which working groups were being finalised to prepare sector-wise recommendations along with funding requirements.
The document deals with internal and external challenges and offers solutions and remedies besides suggesting improving economy by undertaking second-generation reforms which have been delayed by the government, drawing concern from international donors.
The core theme of the Vision 2030 is that Pakistan will transform itself into a just, prosperous and sustainable society.
It will be manifested initially through significantly reduced inequality and access to national resources, and later it must lead to change in consumption patterns, which do not harm the integrity and productivity of the natural systems while sustaining inter-generational equity.
“The institutional requirement for attaining all these features is the rule of law which provides optimal productivity and equity for each citizen,” it says.
“This is ensured when these rights are embedded in broad-based and participatory institutions, not just in the state sector but also through strong and capable civil society institutions and a socially responsible corporate sector.”
It says that economic justice can only flow from a well-ordered and inclusive society, where imbalances created by the continuation of an ancient order are resolved and national wealth is shared equitably.
“We must accord special attention to the vulnerable position of women in the home and workplace in the context of a patriarchal society which is crumbling fast, but is not yet confident of the new moorings. We expect to have crossed the threshold of gender-sensitive society within the next decade,” it says.