Pakistan has been stuck in a quagmire of boom-and-bust cycles in its elusive pursuit of meaningful growth. Meaningful growth needs to be inclusive of the entire population, not through merely capital formation, with the expectation that the trickle-down effect will ultimately reach the wider population. Amongst several factors, including structural issues such as the lack of proper land reforms, as well the fragmentation of land holdings, premature de-industrialisation and financialisation of the economy, poorly thought-through trade agreements, the emphasis on accelerated growth in the services sector, lack of investment in people – education as well as mental and physical wellbeing; one significant reason that we find ourselves in this place is the fact that our regulatory and tax policies have over time, created an environment of businesses preferring imports over manufacturing in Pakistan, resultantly, we are now highly import dependent.…