Pakistans Economic Performance oer the Last 20 Years

Pakistan’s economic performance over the last 20 years Introduction PAKISTAN’S RECENT HISTORY In the last 20 years, Pakistan has oscillated between 3 personalities – Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, and Gen. (retd.) Pervez Musharraf. The current President, Asif Zardari, it can be argued, is in power mainly because he was the husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, although he has come into his own over the last two years. Benazir and Sharif were both Prime Minister for two terms each, with each ending the other’s term, citing incompetency and unfitness to rule. In October 1999, General Pervez Musharraf seized control of the country and the focus of power in Pakistan shifted towards the President. In 2008, he resigned after pressure from the newly elected government of the PPP – the legacy of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and now her husband, Asif Zardari. While the political turmoil and uncertainty of the last two decades has left the public with weakened wills and a spiteful distrust of politicians, the country as a whole moves ever on. The purpose of this report is to examine the progress (or in some cases deterioration) of various indicators of economic health; and in the limited understanding of the authors, present a view of why the particular trend is seen. INDICATORS – WHAT WHY Economic indicators are important statistics one can use to measure the economy, and in a sense get an overview of the current state of progress or regress, whichever may be the case. There