In the article by me carried by this newspaper last week, I recounted a conversation I had with Field Marshal Ayub Khan a few months before he died of a heartache at his residence in foothills of Islamabad. He was the first military president in Pakistan's history and was followed by three other. He lamented the fact that he didn't opt for American help to build technology infrastructure as was done by India. Instead, he asked for the American help in providing Pakistan economists with rich experience in development. The result was an agreement Pakistan signed with Harvard University's Development Advisory Service, the DAS.

With that as the approach, Pakistan has fallen way behind India in making the leap in advanced technologies. It is relying on China to make investments in developing technologies need by modernising economies. China is into the second phase of CPEC with investments not only in the modernisation of Pakistan's communication network but also taking advantage of the fact that the country has one of the youngest populations in the world. This is different from China which, because of the fall in human fertility, has a population that is declining in size and is fast ageing.

With Pakistan and China on the opposite side of the demographic spectrum – with China needing young people to run advanced technologies – it should be possible for the two countries to work together to feed youth to the rapidly developing sectors of high technologies. China could set up training centres on the Pakistani side of the border that could provide the young people China needs. Graduates from these........

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