Growth rates have been generally high during military regimes. In your opinion, is it due to better economic strategies during military regimes or because of external factors?
There is a major misconception that military rule has resulted in economic stability as compared to democratic governments. For example, the economic miracle of General Ayub Khan lasted only from 1961 to 1965 after which the economic situation sharply deteriorated. General Yahya Khans tenure resulted in the complete bankruptcy of Pakistan while General Musharrafs regime witnessed economic growth only from 2003 to 2007. At the same time, one must understand the context of this economic growth witnessed during these military regimes. All of them involved a major liquidity injection from western powers that had a strategic interest in aiding these governments. General Ayub Khan received a generous amount of aid from the US as he was perceived as a crucial Cold War ally. General Zia-ul-Haq was even luckier as the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, which transformed Pakistans position as a strategic asset for the West in its fight against communism. The same is true for General Musharrafs regime which received tons of foreign aid after it declared its support to the US-led war on terror.
Therefore we see that this economic growth was a result of external factors rather than any foresighted policies on the part of the military regimes. What we can say, however, is that the military regimes completely failed to implement any structural reforms in the system and almost always left the corridors of power with a high budget deficit and a low economic growth, as was witnessed recently with General Musharraf who left his office with the economy in a complete mess. In fact, I blame the military governments more than the democratic regimes as representative governments are unable to undertake unpopular decisions due to political constraints whereas military regimes do not have to take into account public perception in formulating their policies. The failure to institute structural reforms despite complete control over the state apparatus demonstrates how military governments did not have the will to implement change.
What is your economic forecast for the next fiscal year?
I do not see any economic turnaround in the near future. Inflation will not go down as considerable liquidity has been injected into the economy as a result of the provincial governments decision to borrow from the banks in order to pay subsidies on wheat. The ever increasing budget deficit will keep on increasing as there seems to be no consensus on how to increase our tax revenue. As stated earlier, the constant clash between major political parties will also make it highly unlikely for the current government to push through unpopular but necessary fiscal measures.
Other avenues for revenue generation also seem limited. It is difficult to attract foreign investment considering the security situation in the country. Lack of foreign investment will remain a hindrance for economic growth which means that unemployment will only increase. I feel that the government would desperately search for a bailout package from governments in the West and may eventually end up borrowing another loan from the IMF.