The visit of the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, coincided with a period wherein, the gulf between the Pakistan's government and the opposition has dangerously widened, and is compounding the complexities Pakistan already confronts because of its security situation - a harsh reality that both the government and the opposition overlook the visible disadvantage of the people of Pakistan. Besides the other subjects that the Turkish premier touched upon during his address to the joint session of Pakistan's parliament, this deserves the focused attention of the government and the opposition.
Given the fact that he has very good working relationships with Pakistan's government and the opposition, the Turkish premier is probably the only person who could help bridge the gulf between them. Very appropriately, the Turkish premier emphasised the need for strengthening the democratic process by implementing economic reforms that convince both the citizens and investors of the reforms' legality, rationality and fairness, as proved by the Turkish experience.
Following this route, the regime led by Erdogan had rebuilt Turkish faith in democracy, and during 2003-11, it was able to attract foreign direct investment worth $110 billion. Unfortunately, however, in Pakistan, we have done the opposite as reflected by Pakistan's worsening country risk perception. Parliamentarians, he said carry the enormous responsibility of delivering according to the peoples' will "because no one can withstand the wrath of the masses." The condition of the power sector reflects that Pakistan's parliamentarians have yet to fulfil the obligation of delivering on their many rosy promises.
Pakistan's parliamentarians are clearly not conscious of the challenges their country faces. Their energies are not focused on addressing these challenges, a gap that the Turkish premier highlighted during his address while advising the opposition that it must focus on mending the ways of the government, not as much on removing it. But he balanced his advice by reminding the government of its obligations to deliver on the promises that a responsible regime commits itself to do after assuming power. As a non-partisan entity, the Turkish premier is interested only in the well-being of Pakistan, which has a very special place in the hearts of the Turkish people, given their long history of struggle wherein our ancestors offered great sacrifices for Turkey and its people.
Turkey was among the foremost supporter of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP). It was lack of preparation on part of Pakistan that proper project feasibilities were not readily available at the Dubai moot. It has taken over three years for 14 projects in the power sector to be identified for Turkish firms to explore. The Turkish side has cited bureaucratic hurdles, the taxation system and high tariff as impediments towards investment. All these obstacles can be effectively tackled while staying within the law and observing rules and regulations. Whenever investment proposals are pushed from the top, with the objective of saving time - there is bound to be trouble. Karkey Rental is a prime example. The Pakistan side needs to make the return on investment attractive for the investors and the Turkish side needs to show more understanding and patient. After all, there are other destinations where the bureaucratic hurdles are much higher than Pakistan and return on investment even lower.
Pakistan needs to learn from the Turkish experience, both in terms of transition from a military-controlled government to a democratic dispensation; as well as the growing role it is playing as a regional powerhouse. In both cases, the power lies in the strong growth of the Turkish economy - now the envy of Europe. Public support for democracy emanates from the success of the civilian dispensation in delivering a better quality of life to the people at large. A strong export-led growth has allowed Turkey to expand its trade with its neighbours in particular and the region in general. It also provides the basis for its growing regional influence. In Turkey, all the three tiers of government have come together and developed a coherent and proactive policy that addresses the economy, foreign affairs and defence in an integrated manner. We need to do the same. Last but not least, it is interesting to note that most people in North Africa and the Middle East believe that post-revolutionary states in the region (the countries afflicted by the contagion of the 'Arab Spring') should model their political systems on Turkey's, according to an opinion poll commissioned by the Doha Debates. Some analysts, therefore, believe that the Ottoman Empire is seeking to make a return not in order to restore its former glories, but rather to establish an effective presence for the Turkish state that greatly suits its economic and political interests. Muslim countries, particularly Pakistan, are required to draw a valuable lesson from the fact that Ankara has successfully integrated Islam into politics, which probably fits into majority of these countries' needs.