Two factor are correlated with each other. A soft and peaceful image of Pakistan and investment. The image of the country has been tarnished due to terrorist activities, mostly launched by hostile countries in the neighbourhood and beyond. Irony is that the countries which are actually behind terrorism in Pakistan are blaming Islamabad for terrorism and trying to throw dust in the eyes of the world. Pakistan could not give matching response to India on political and diplomatic fronts which also labeled Pakistan as a “failed state”. As a result, the best geographical location and skilled workforce could not bring an acceptable level of foreign investment in the country. There is a need to prop up the soft image of Pakistan for investment not only in trade and industry, but also in health and education sectors. Pakistan can become the hub of modern health and education facilities. If the government opts for establishing modern health and education cities in the four provinces, the country will not only be able to improve its soft image in the comity of nations, but will also emerge as one of the best health and education provider in the world.
According to experts, medical tourism is $100 billion market and sky is the limit in education sector earnings. The government has to make a plan to establish health and education cities in the four provinces as well as in federal territories such as FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. It will not only improve the soft image of Pakistan, but will also create jobs for the health experts, educators, and engineers. The private sector has important role to play. Currently, the private sector has domination in education sector as private schools, colleges and universities are operating in various parts of the country and are providing standard education to the students. Health units are also established at small scales but there is a need to fully exploit the potentials of both health and education sectors.
India is earning billions of dollars through medial tourism. Establishment of modern health and education centers will open the doors of research for Pakistani experts as well as the foreign investment. What the government has to do is to devise a plan and the senior team members of the prime ministers should be tasked to strictly monitor the implementation process. Pakistanis as a nation are bound to achieve progress in any sector of the economy. But revolutionary steps by the government can change the lot of this nation. The foreign investment in health and education will also bring peace and security as the investor countries will have stakes in Pakistan and would not be waylaid by false Indian propaganda.
