LAHORE: “Progress demands reimagining governance as a dynamic, participatory process,” says Maroof A. Syed, President and the CEO of Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) at a seminar at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).

What role do governance and inclusion play in building resilient and equitable societies? This question brought together leading voices from Pakistan and the diaspora during the third annual Pathways to Development Conference.

Dr. Mazhar Waseem from University of Manchester, delivered the second keynote, discussing Pakistan’s “filing obsession puzzle,” where more tax filers have not led to higher revenues. He called for a targeted enforcement and better systems to improve tax compliance and revenue generation.

The event also featured a powerful statement by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of Supreme Court of Pakistan, who declared, “Climate finance is the new climate justice,” urging courts to recognise it as a fundamental human right and calling on the global north to address its “climate debt.”

Keynote speaker Dr. Lant Pritchett of London School of Economics cautioned against using the low-bar poverty line as a starting point and emphasised the importance of state capability.

The conference featured discussions on land rights, debt restructuring, health governance, and crisis response.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2024