The truth is stark: nations today are not measured by the size of their tax base or the volume of their raw exports, but by the ideas they sell to the world.

We must move away from the fallacy that taxing the existing economy more will solve our problems. Burdening the cur­rent economic value base will yield marginal dividends but in­creased public outcry.

Two imperatives stand out. First, we must work to increase the size of the proverbial economic pie. Second, we must understand that exporting textiles, raw goods, and some sports and surgical goods is not going to help. In this millen­nium, knowledge has become the new currency of power. Countries that once struggled with poverty now dominate global markets because they chose to in­vest in brains, not brawn.

Trump invites PM Shehbaz to join Gaza Board of Peace

Recall that we won the May 2025 spat on the back of knowledge-based avion­ics. When Pakistan began closing some mouth-watering deals to sell its JF-17 fighter jets abroad, the headlines car­ried a rare sense of triumph. For once, the world was not talking about Paki­stan’s deficits or debt—it was talking about a product born of Pakistani inge­nuity, engineering, and collaboration. This is more than a defence deal; it is a glimpse of what Pakistan could become if it embraced the knowledge economy.

But here is the uncomfortable reality staring us in the face: unless Pakistan pivots decisively towards a knowledge-based economy, the JF-17 will remain an exception rather than the rule.

Pakistan Needs a Shared Boardroom 

Global researchers from the OECD and the World Bank have long argued that “knowledge is the most strategic resource of the 21st century.” The num­bers prove it. Knowledge- and technol­ogy-intensive (KTI) industries exported approximately $12 trillion worldwide in 2024.

Consider the following transforma­tions. Today,........

© The Nation