Pakistan is facing worse kind of water shortage for its cultivated lands. Along with other politically affected regional hazards, lack of modern irrigation infrastructure is a major setback for sustained agricultural growth. There is a great deal of investment required to overhaul and upgrade its canal system and also watering system as well. Currently watering crop fields is carried out with flood irrigation system this is obsolete system and cause waste of water resource. It is needed to be replaced as soon as with splinter system and canal network must be brick lined.Â
Regional Infrastructure may not solve water problem at regional level but it will help settle many disputes in countries at national level.Â
Situation of energy and food supplies will also improve not only in Pakistan but its neighboring countries as well.Â
Gas pipelines from Middle East and Central Asia can be connected to India through Pakistan. Similarly communication networks can be established connecting regional countries to provide robust and cheap communication networks.Â
- Social Stability
For example Pakistan has world's three largest and highest mountain ranges, world's 9th largest desert, world's largest salt mine and lots of other places which still need to be developed to attract foreign tourists. Developing infrastructure for these sites will generate job opportunities for local people and once these are developed will further provide opportunities for locals and foreign entrepreneurs to establish business there like hotels and restaurants. Â
Other than job opportunities built, infrastructure will also help to raise standard of living of local residents hence helping in reduction of poverty from the region.Â
- Common security for region
Security is currently biggest concern in the entire South East Asia. Security concerns among nations in the region have grown since the start of GWoT (Global War on Terror). Apart from that many nations have excruciatingly disturbing history between them since decades and have gone into wars with each other over various disputes. Countries like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are facing internal and external security threats. Â
Regional infrastructure can greatly reduce tension among nations in the region. Idea of common interests and more sense of security can only be prevailed with increased interdependency. It becomes more important for regional peace to have common interests among nuclear rivals in region i.e. India and Pakistan. Â
- Access to new markets
A proper legal framework and infrastructure will enable regional vendors to expand their businesses beyond their borders and also connect to other regions as well. Pakistan can provide routes to Central Asia, China, Middle East through its Western borders to its own and the vendors in its East i.e. in India, Bangladesh etc.Â
This will provide excellent opportunities to local industries in the region to grow and hence provide more jobs and contribute more in growth. Â
- Immediate disaster recovery
Better communication systems and transportation system beyond the national borders will ensure prompt actions in an event of natural calamity. Damage in catastrophes like tsunami in India Ocean (Dec, 2006), earth quick in Pakistan (Oct, 2005), ALIA torpedoes storm in India and Bangladesh (2009) and due to lots of floods etc can be minimized with help of a collaborative rescue infrastructure under one common framework.
After 2006 tsunami a great deal of common weather radar system, floods warning system and rescue plan was sighted as urgent necessaries for a regional natural disaster management system and this need is still valid. A collaborative infrastructure would be beneficial to more than one billion people in a region which is known for its extreme weather conditions and sudden changes in its climate.
 Will Infrastructure alone solve all problems?
There is need for taking more measures in countries which are more challenging to sustain than attain and economic growth is at top of that list of those challenges. To sustain growth through infrastructure will only possible if all the related and enabling technologies, skills, resource management, capacity planning is done properly. These are major factors that have direct affect on any infrastructure so the task most essential is to produce all these enabling entities with proper quantity, quality and more importantly at proper time to sustain a healthy rate of infrastructure development. Sooner it is done better it will be for both Pakistan and the region as well.
- Higher Education & Research and Development
More spending is required on R&D. University research must be linked to local industrial needs and must follow international standard. It was only after 2002-03, Islamabad realised the role of specialised workforce and enhancing already employed workers so HEC (Higher Education Commission) was formed to bridge the gap between demand and supply of skilled professionals.
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