LAHORE: The road to prosperity is not paved with slogans or selective uplift. It lies in providing equal opportunities to all citizens — across regions and classes — so Pakistan can finally harness its true potential.
Until this goal is met, the country will continue to stumble, rich in talent but poor in opportunity. Planners must learn from successful economies built on one simple principle: every citizen deserves an equal chance to succeed, regardless of gender, ethnicity or family background. Nations thrive when every child — no matter where they are born — has access to education, healthcare, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. Denying these essentials deepens inequality and robs the nation of untapped potential.
The state’s responsibility is undeniable. While adults may seize or squander opportunities, it is the government’s duty to provide a level playing field in childhood. Equal chances early in life may not guarantee equality later — but they ensure success stories emerge from every social stratum, not just the privileged few.
Instead of building brick and mortar for political optics, the focus must be on quality education up to secondary level. An educated child becomes a productive citizen; a deprived child enters the labour market weighed down by disadvantages that cannot easily be overcome. This vicious cycle must be broken.
Equity must extend across all provinces and districts. Pakistan’s socio-economic map reveals stark disparities — even within the same province. Regions lacking clean water, sanitation and electricity should be prioritised. Otherwise, entire communities will remain trapped in poverty while urban centres continue to amass resources.
Children from poor families unable to access quality education face lifelong marginalisation. As adults, they enter a rigged labour market, competing against those who enjoyed every advantage. Society must stand with the state to demand fairness — not look away. Meanwhile, the state cannot excuse its repeated failure to establish a corruption-free tax system to mobilise resources for such development.
Equality of opportunity should not be Pakistan’s burden alone. Just as the world once rallied around the Millennium Development Goals for health, the UN should set similar benchmarks for education and gender parity. Without them, progress risks being selective, uneven and reversible.
But within Pakistan, responsibility begins at home. Planners must gather reliable data on where opportunities are missed and allocate resources accordingly. This time, planning must not be top-down. Each district should assess its own needs. In some areas, ethnic or religious minorities may face systemic disadvantage; in others, urban slums may be denied basic facilities. Policy must recognise these variations and respond accordingly.
Pakistan has a long way to go. The country ranks 79th out of 82 nations on the Social Mobility Index 2020 (latest), scoring just 36.7 out of 100.
