Corridors of Knowledge for Peace and Development Table of Contents About the Sustainable Development Policy Institute vii About the Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) Series x Acknowledgements xviii Abid Qaiyum Suleri xxv Foreword - Re-imagining Connectivity in South Asia and Beyond REFLECTIONS AND LEARNINGS: MOVING SOUTH ASIA BEYOND BORDERS & BOUNDARIES Chapter 1 3 Sartaj Aziz Vision for Pakistan: Corridor of Knowledge for Peace and Development Chapter 2 7 Ishrat Husain Human Capital and Pakistan’s Future Chapter 3 13 Shamshad Akhtar Regional Cooperation through Connectivity: Lessons for South Asia and Pakistan Chapter 4 17 Sherry Rehman The Connectivity Dream Chapter 5 24 Moneeza Hashmi Harnessing Power of Media for Sustainable Development Chapter 6 32 Shoaib Sultan Khan Poverty Reduction through Social Mobilisation in Pakistan and India Chapter 7 41 Ratnakar Adhikari Fourth Industrial Revolution: From Least Developed Countries to Knowledge Societies Chapter 8 67 Amitabh Kundu South-South Cooperation in Building a Knowledge Corridor for Achieving Development Targets PERSPECTIVES ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH ASIA Chapter 9 81 Ahad Nazir and Vaqar Ahmed National and Sub-National Tax Reforms: An Iterative Public-Private Dialogue Approach from Pakistan Chapter 10 96 Jan Werner Fiscal Equalisation and Fiscal Conflicts: Junction between Solidarity and Subsidiarity for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan – Lessons from the German Experience Chapter 11 124 Fatima Khushnud and Asad Khan Afridi Pakistan’s Power Sector: The Way Forward Chapter 12 136 Pradeep S. Mehta, Ujjwal Kumar and Parveer Singh Ghuman Interface between Competition Policy and Intellectual Property Rights: Select Case Studies from India REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN SOUTH ASIA Chapter 13 165 Nagesh Kumar and Joseph George Connecting for Trade and Development: Issues and Prospects of Land Transport Corridors in South Asia Chapter 14 183 Bipul Chatterjee and Surendar Singh Regional Connectivity in South Asia: Role of the International Road Transports (TIR) Convention Chapter 15 200 Ruwan Edirisinghe Unleashing SAARC’s Trade Potential POTENTIAL OF SOUTH ASIA’S HUMAN CAPITAL FOR DEVELOPMENT Chapter 16 207 Raj Kumar Dhungana Paradoxes of Quality Education in South Asia Chapter 17 229 Foyasal Khan Economic Relevance and Sustainability of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Programmes: Case of Bangladesh Chapter 18 253 Anne Nairuko Mootian Avenues for Climate-resilient Development through Shared Research and Policy Initiatives: Case of Narok County, Kenya STATE, SOCIETY AND VOICE: FUTURES THAT MATTER Chapter 19 279 Nathelene Reynolds Hindu Nationalism and the Muslim Minority in India Chapter 20 304 Ammaz Khan and Rabia Manzoor Women’s Access to Justice in Pakistan: Understanding Barriers Chapter 21 323 Sadia Bokhari Protecting Religious Minority Women in Pakistan Chapter 22 335 Victoria Perrie Addressing Gender-based Violence against Women in Malaysia: Impact of CEDAW’s Concluding Observations ANNEXURE: CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 355 About the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) Charting the Course of Research Excellence Born on 4 August 1992 in a small office in the capital of Pakistan, with a handful of dedicated employees, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) is now known as South Asia’s leading non-partisan policy research organisations providing the global development community representation from Pakistan and the region as a whole. Over the past 27 years, it has remained staunchly committed to the mission it set for itself upon inception: To catalyse the transition towards sustainable development, defined as the enhancement of peace, social justice and well-being, within and across generations. SDPI remains one of the few organisations in Pakistan that has been consistently ranked internationally by the Global Go To Think Tank Index since 2016. Where We Come From The Institute’s genesis lies in the Pakistan National Conservation Strategy (also known as Pakistan’s Agenda 21), which approved by the Federal Cabinet in March 1992, outlined the need for an independent non-profit organisation in the country to serve as a source of expertise for policy analysis, evidence-based research and training services. What We Do SDPI functions in an advisory capacity by carrying out robust research, policy advice and advocacy; and in an enabling capacity by strengthening other individuals and organisations with resource materials and training. Specifically, the Institute’s broad-based yet holistic mandate is to: . Conduct evidence-based research, advocacy and trainings from a broad multi-disciplinary perspective. Promote the implementation of policies, programmes, laws and regulations based on sustainable development. Strengthen civil society and facilitate civil society-government interaction in collaboration with other organisations and activist networks. Disseminate research findings and public education through the media, conferences, seminars, lectures, publications and curricula development; and, . Contribute to building national research capacity and infrastructure. How We Do It The diverse array of projects and programmes, from inclusive economic growth to institutional governance; from trade, regional connectivity, energy economics to climate change; from food, water and human security to education; from sustainable industrial growth to hazardous waste management; from religious tolerance to peace and gender equity, that SDPI has been involved in over the past 27 years, outline the following core activities: . Providing policy advice to the government. Facilitating and organising forums for policy dialogue. Supporting in-house, local, regional and international academics, students and researchers. Publishing critical research for public and private sector use. Acting as a conduit for North-South and South-South dialogue. Creating an environment for information dissemination and training. Campaigning for regional advocacy and networking. Why We Do It The Institute’s efforts remain unwavering in its vision to become a Centre of Excellence on sustainable development policy research, capacity development and advocacy in the country and South Asia by producing knowledge that not only enhances the capacity of the state to make informed policy decisions, but also engages civil society and academia on issues of public interest for the betterment of current and future generations. Reaching Out Since its inception, SDPI has organised innumerable seminars and national and international conferences. The Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) series has become a flagship event of the Institute that not only provides a forum for highlighting SDPI’s own research, but also offers space to other researchers and academics from South Asia in particular and across the globe in general, to share their work and engage in constructive dialogue with fellow intellectuals, movers and shakers from the public and private sector, students and the general. To date, SDPI has organised twenty one annual conferences. viii This present collection, of research papers, essay, speeches and policy briefs, was presented at the Eleventh South Asia Economic Summit (SAES), and Twentieth SDC held over a four-day period (4-7 December 2018) in Islamabad, Pakistan (see Annexure 1 for detailed programme of the two events). SAES is the premier regional platform for debate and analysis of politico-socio- economic issues and problems facing South Asia. SAES is the first of its kind in the region that builds on robust evidence and contributes to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summits. Since 2008, SAES has been annually bringing together stakeholders to review and reflect on current issues and problems of the South Asian countries. The Summit develops new insights and generates ideas on policy measures for consideration of the region’s decision-makers. It is led by a group of five think tanks from South Asia that host the Summit on rotational basis in one of the SAARC member countries every year. They include: 1. Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Pakistan. 2. Center for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh. 3. Research and Information Systems for Developing Countries, India. 4. South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal. 5. Institute for Policy Studies, Sri Lanka. ix About the Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) Series Introduction Since its inception, SDPI has organised 21 Sustainable Development Conferences. The first SDC was held in 1995. After every SDC, the Institute produced and published a peer reviewed volume in the form of an anthology. The anthologies are, in fact, an outcome of the deliberations and discussions held at the different panels during the respective SDCs. Following is a brief history of past SDCs: First SDC (1995) The First SDC The Green Economics Conference focused on the interaction between economics and environment. It included research papers on trade, fiscal policy, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), green accounting, forestry, energy, industry, and urban environment. After this conference, an anthology titled Green Economics was published. Second SDC (1996) The Second SDC highlighted the broad theme of sustainable development, including pollution abatement, resource management, conservation of biodiversity, the transfer and use of technology, trade and environment, human development and poverty alleviation, and social capital and governance. The conference was successful in highlighting key