Pakistan, Feb. 6 -- In a stark warning delivered in Karachi, World Bank President Ajay Banga emphasised the urgent need for Pakistan to create up to 30 million jobs over the next decade or risk instability and mass migration. That means roughly 2.5 to three million new jobs each year, a daunting reality considering Islamabad's planning board has recently approved projects that promise a mere 95,000 jobs. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the requirements of a burgeoning labour force currently numbering around 71.8 million and growing by 2 million entrants each year.

With a population of approximately 241.5 million, 26% are aged between 15 and 29. However, the country's GDP growth stagnates at around 3%, hardly sufficient to absorb ...