Pakistan – Step forward, evolve and compete with the rest of the world.

Pakistan – Step forward, evolve and compete with the rest of the world.

There are nations in the world that remain stuck in time, unwilling to embrace change or progress. Despite having immense potential, they refuse to take even those baby steps that are easily doable.  Without the willingness to change, they doom themselves to stagnation and backwardness. But progress is not just about resources. It is about imagination, technology, the courage to evolve and the desire to compete.

Consider a developing country, not too far from where we exist. Uzbekistan, that came into existence only in 1991, is rapidly evolving into a modern state. A state that has no out-of-school children and few tax-evaders.  Citizens are provided hassle-free digital services without visiting bureaucratic government offices. Let me explain just one aspect – how, in the land of this double landlocked country, the police ensures the legality of every vehicle on the road.

 In Uzbekistan, police officers, on observing and flagging down a suspicious vehicle, do not engage in a long-drawn discussion, nor ask for ID card, driving license or for that matter currency notes.  Standing a few feet away, the police officer will pull out a handheld tablet or smartphone equipped with special police apps.  He will simply scan the vehicle’s license plate (which has a QR code chip) and get immediate access to real-time data from government databases. This data includes, the name, ID, address, phone number and the driving licenses status of the owner.  It also includes data of unpaid fines, Insurance status, registration validity, stolen vehicle alerts and technical inspection status. The entire verification process takes less than 3 minutes. All fines are paid electronically, without the need for visiting police stations or banks.

In addition to the above highly simplified process, there also exists an Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) System. Traffic cameras installed on roads, intersections, and highways automatically scan vehicle license plates and check against databases for unpaid fines, taxes, stolen vehicles or driver’s credentials.

Both methods described above have been in use by many countries for at least 30 years.

What stops Pakistan from stepping forward, adopting change and competing with the rest of the world. Pakistanis too deserve to be governed better.

Naeem Sadiq

March 18, 2025