If you were in a leadership position, how would you address some of the major consequences of

having any outdated policy that might currently be in place in Pakistan?

Pakistan is facing a plethora of challenges as result of outdated policies. It is lagging behind in
various sectors like economy, education, health and justice system. The economy is in doldrums,
the health sector is in abysmal condition and the performance of the courts is lackluster.
In Pakistan security is prioritized over economy, the power balance is weighted in favor of the
security establishment and democracy is damaging governance. Pakistan and India have been at
loggerheads since 1947. It is indispensable that both the countries find a common ground, shed
the bitter hostilities and prioritize trade which will be beneficial for the common people and for
the prosperity of both the countries as a whole. Conflicts should be subordinated to economic
interests. Pakistan should enhance bilateral trade with India. For Instance, China and India are
political rivals but China is India’s largest import market and second largest export market after
the US. Trade between them reached a whopping $100 billion in 2021.
Secondly, Pakistan’s criminal justice system is in shambles. The common people have borne the
brunt of the outdated policies and archaic laws which are mostly skewed in the favor of the
influential people. Cases are frequently adjourned, decades old cases are still pending in the
lower and superior courts. Ordinary people are languishing in jails and speedy justice is a distant
dream for them. The first prerequisite is re-establishing law and order for ensuring a stable
society where the writ of the state is effective. Here the need is two-fold: Improving the courts
and the police, which together constitute the criminal justice system.
Reformation in the current education policies in place to include a substantial budget increase
for schools and teacher salaries; increased accountability and transparency of the institutions,
improved infrastructure; raised quality of education; and introduction of technical and skill
education programmes can improve the socio-economic prospects of the people of Pakistan.
Being a strategically important country, Pakistan can achieve so much growth and enjoy
favorable relations with its neighbours, by improving its foreign, and trade policies.

Who or what in the society has the power to define a problem, and how?
To define a problem, it starts from an individual himself. It can range from the mundane
problems to the very vital problems that require immediate attention . For example, if a person
has a problem in his home then he has to complain that to the elder of the house in order to cope
it. In society then comes those experienced knowledgeable people who have clues to resolve
those problems initially. At the local level, the problems are defined by municipal authorities,
city administrators and departmental heads.
At the strategic level our problems and therefore policies will be defined firstly by our immediate
circumstances and then by our ability to visualize how the domestic and global landscape may
change in the future and as to how it will affect our ability to achieve our goals. In practice I
imagine this would likely be done or rather should be done by the Prime Minister in consultation
with other ministers and the military.
Media has also become a vital component to highlight the problems in a society regarding thefts,
poverty, harassment cases, bribery etc. Once these persons define a particular problem, they
proceed with a policy statement that leads to adopting a policy in response to curbing, solving or
avoiding the problem.