Pakistan can still unlock major potential if it commits to sustained, disciplined reform, Economist Atif Mian has explained in a blog. He proposes a Five-for-Fifty model, under which Pakistan would grow per capita income by 5 percent annually for 50 years.
Countries with similar starting points, including South Korea and China, achieved global average income decades ago through stronger early growth.
But Pakistan’s performance has deteriorated. Per capita growth has fallen from about 3 percent in the 1980s to near-zero in recent years, widening the gap with global averages.
Mian argues that Pakistan is trapped in a long-running stagnation regime where occasional spurts of growth quickly reverse. He says this trend has persisted under every political setup because policymaking lacks consistency, credibility, and analytical depth.
He points to several structural failures: high taxes on electricity, repeated confusion between borrowed foreign inflows and real investment, poorly structured initiatives such as the SIFC and past power-sector deals, chronic overvaluation of the exchange rate; and a long list of misaligned priorities, from elite-driven real estate policies to symbolic schemes.
Mian argues that reversing course requires a fundamental shift in economic governance. He calls for a modern decision-making system built on strong data, independent research institutions, and skilled technical professionals with real authority. He wants a China-based incremental, evidence-driven reform model as an example of how countries shift into a high-growth regime.
He said Pakistan’s next 50 years can be radically different but only if the state dares to break with entrenched interests and adopt rational, long-term policy discipline.
