For country to prosper, it must invest in its children.

Pakistan remains one of the more important countries in the region, occupying a very strategic location overlooking the Gulf and the Arabian Sea, and abutting Afghanistan, Iran, China, and India.

It is fifth largest in the world in terms of population, though that may be seen as a vulnerability too. And it is a nuclear power, though aimed largely at deterring neighbouring India.

Until recently, Pakistan had a middle class of around 50 million people. But poor governance and self-serving elites have deprived it of...