Okay, so for the last 10 months, many intelligent folks have been raising the alarm bells on how Pakistan’s economy is being managed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif but it has made little difference in the corridors of power
I’ve personally been writing piece after piece in this paper and thought it’s time to get a little creative
If the powers that be don’t listen to regular mortals, perhaps they’ll listen to artificial intelligence
So I had some fun and gave Chat GPT a few prompts to write a piece on PM Shehbaz Sharif’s performance
What follows may be Pakistan’s first AI-generated op-ed on his performance
“Over the past 10 months, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been criticised for his mismanagement of the country’s economy which has seen a sharp decline in growth, with foreign direct investment dropping to its lowest since 2009
The decline in economic growth is largely a result of the government’s failure to address the structural weaknesses in the economy
High inflation, a widening current account deficit and an overvalued currency have all contributed to the faltering economy
The government has also failed to invest in infrastructure, with the majority of the investment going to sectors such as energy and telecommunications
This has resulted in a lack of development in other key sectors such as health, education and agriculture
Moreover, the government has been unable to reduce the high levels of public debt which stands at 78% of the total GDP, and the government has been unable to reduce it despite implementing various austerity measures
The government has also failed to address the country’s energy crisis
Pakistan has been facing an economic crisis since Prime Minister Shehbaz took office 10 months ago
As the country’s economy continues to decline, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the root causes of the crisis and how it can be addressed
The current situation in Pakistan is not new
For the past several years, the country has been experiencing an economic slowdown due to a range of factors including a weak currency, high inflation and a lack of investment
However, the situation has worsened significantly since the election of PM Shehbaz
The primary cause of Pakistan’s economic collapse since Shehbaz took office is the implementation of an economic policy that is too focused on austerity measures and not enough on economic growth
The government has implemented a number of austerity measures, including raising taxes, cutting subsidies and reducing spending
These policies have led to a significant decrease in GDP growth and a rise in unemployment
Additionally, the government has failed to invest in infrastructure and other key sectors, leading to further economic stagnation
The government has also failed to address the issue of corruption which is a major problem in Pakistan
Corruption is rampant in the country and has been linked to a variety of economic issues, including an increase in public debt
” Okay, so there you have it
This is me again
Not the AI bot speaking
Artificial intelligence is no Ardeshir Cowasjee with the pen but it got the broad strokes of its arguments right, with some arguments that may not be as so fair
In either case, this was a playful experiment on an otherwise somber topic
The world is moving on to next generation technological innovations like AI, while Pakistan is struggling to sign the same deal it was with the IMF for over two dozen times
The truth is we don’t need AI or even a PHD in economics to understand how bad things are with the economy right now
We can simply look at PM Shehbaz’s own brother and son for clues on which way the economy is headed
Even they’re refusing to fly back from London to Lahore to fix or own this mess
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2023
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| Date: | 20-Feb-2023 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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