The ailing economy needs 'antibiotics'.

FORMER president and chief of army staff Gen Pervez Musharraf, while narrating an interaction with former Chinese prime minister Zhu Rongji in his book, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir, recalled thus: 'Investors, he said, are like pigeons. When a government frightens them with poor decisions, they all fly off together. When the government improves its policies to attract them back, they return only one by one.'

This is what has happened to Pakistan. Many of the Pakistanis have over the years left the country and settled in countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada, the United States, Australia and England, among others. Today, we can see where these states stand in the comity of nations.

A few months ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau inaugurated a grocery store setup by members of the Memon community in Canada. Pakistan needs sound policies to attract at least investors of Pakistani origin. And we need such policies rather urgently.

The relevant ministries have been busy negotiating with investors and the business community for a very long time. Ministers of all shades and hues have also been meeting delegations of different countries.

But all this represents a case of too little, too late. The people of Pakistan are waiting anxiously for some good, positive news to come their way that may bolster the declining economy. But so far nothing seems to be happening.

Pakistan surely needs to think of options other than loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and from a couple of friendly countries in the shape of Saudi Arabia and China. The main issue that is still a hindrance to...