Pakistan continues to struggle to enhance its exports. The problem lies in the fact that we do not have the capability to manufacture and export high technology (high value-added) materials such as engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, electronics, automobiles, computers etc.

About 60 per cent of our exports are low-value textiles. To develop the ability to manufacture and export high-value high-tech materials, we need to invest massively in public and private sector R&D, which we have miserably failed to do.

Our leaders must realise that countries investing over 2.0 per cent of their much larger GDPs in R&D with a focus on new cutting-edge technologies are quickly marching ahead, leaving countries such as Pakistan lying in the dust. Our schools, colleges and universities today are in a miserable state, with the result that transitioning to a knowledge economy remains a dream while we continue to borrow huge sums to meet our needs.

Amazing developments in various fields of science and engineering are rapidly changing the landscape of businesses and the portfolios of exports the world over. One such example is that of ChatGPT which took the world by storm only a couple of years ago and for which Elon Musk recently offered a take-over bid of a huge sum of $97.5 billion.

Tables were turned when a Chinese company DeepSeek came out earlier this year with a competitive product that is in many ways better than ChatGPT at a small fraction of the cost. At the end of January this year, Ali Baba, a Chinese online retailer giant, announced the launch of Qwen 2.5-Max which they claim is even better than DeepSeek V3.

Turning to biological sciences, one of the most significant breakthroughs in genomics has been the dramatic reduction in the cost and time required to sequence DNA. When the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, it took over a decade and cost nearly $ 3 billion to sequence a single human genome.

Today, thanks to next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, the same task can be accomplished in a matter of hours for less than $1,000. The development of a revolutionary gene-editing tool (CRISPR) has been a game-changer in genomics. CRISPR allows scientists to make precise modifications to DNA, enabling the correction of genetic mutations. CRISPR is already being used in clinical trials to treat genetic disorders such as sickle cell anaemia and beta-thalassemia, with promising results. In agriculture, CRISPR is being employed to create crops with improved yields, disease resistance, and nutritional content.

The rise of precision medicine will soon allow treatments to be tailored to an individual’s genetic makeup. Precision oncology, for example, has revolutionised cancer treatment. By analysing the genetic profile of a patient’s tumour, clinicians can prescribe targeted therapies that specifically attack cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. Immunotherapies have shown remarkable success in treating previously untreatable cancers. These therapies harness the body’s immune system to fight cancer, offering new hope to patients with advanced or metastatic disease.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are revolutionising medicine by enhancing diagnostics, drug discovery, and patient care. For example, AI-powered tools are being used to detect early signs of diseases such as breast cancer, diabetic retinopathy, and Alzheimer’s disease, often with greater precision than human clinicians.

In drug discovery, AI is accelerating the identification of potential drug candidates and optimising clinical trial designs. Companies like DeepMind and Insilico Medicine are using AI to predict protein structures and simulate molecular interactions, reducing the time and cost of developing new therapies. Such developments are resulting in a huge boost to exports of companies investing in them.

Agriculture, the backbone of human civilisation, is undergoing a transformative revolution driven by technological innovation, environmental challenges, and the need to feed a growing global population. Precision agriculture has emerged as a game-changer in modern farming, leveraging data, sensors and AI to optimise agricultural practices. By using GPS technology, drones, and IoT (Internet of Things) devices, farmers can monitor soil conditions, crop health, and weather patterns in real-time. This data-driven approach enables the precise application of water, fertilizers and pesticides, reducing waste and minimising environmental impact.

Finally, let us consider materials science. Here too we see a renaissance, driven by the discovery and development of innovative materials with extraordinary properties and applications. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has been hailed as a ‘wonder material’ due to its exceptional strength, conductivity, and flexibility. Graphene-based batteries and supercapacitors are being developed to offer faster charging times, higher energy density, and longer lifespans compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries.

Recent breakthroughs in metamaterials have led to the development of materials that can make objects invisible by bending the light away. This technology has potential applications in defence, surveillance, and even consumer electronics. Self-healing materials have also been developed that can repair themselves when damaged.

These disruptive innovations are leading to the rapid rise of new businesses based on novel commercial products. For Pakistan to emerge from the quagmire of poverty and hunger, we need a visionary technocratic government that can have a razor-sharp focus on the manufacture and export of high-technology value-added goods. This is only achievable through the realisation at the highest level that the future of Pakistan lies in high-quality education, science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The freezing of all public-sector university operational budgets at about Rs.66 billion for over six years has served as the last nail in the coffin. University salaries, electricity rates and gas prices have more than doubled, and the rupee has sunk to almost a third of its value in this period with the corresponding rise in the cost of equipment and chemicals.

The frozen operational budgets have alas resulted in the systematic destruction of our universities. The best way to destroy a country is to destroy the future of its youth by undermining its educational system. Our future is dark. It is time to wake up before it is too late.

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