Pakistan, Dec. 12 -- Should we take pride in Pakistan being one of the most important countries of the Muslim world possessing a strong army of over 600,000 soldiers, a formidable conventional firepower and a stock of nuclear arsenal, a huge population of over 200 million and a vibrant workforce or we lose our sleep over its unstable economy that, most of the years, has remained aid-dependent with a GDP of $280billion and unimpressive exchange reserves and exports hovering around $20 and $22billion respectively - much less than Bangladesh. Until recently, there have been wide current account deficits.

The poverty index has been on the rise with social sectors like education and healthcare sliding into steep decline. The state's failure t...