Har saal koi na koi economist aa jaata hai aur kehta hai ke Pakistan ki economy theek nahi ho rahi. IMF ke numbers, current account deficit, rupee ki girawat. Yeh sab sun sun kar hum khud apne baare mein sochne lagte hain ke shayad hum wakai peechhe hain. Lekin main aaj ek alag baat karna chahta hoon.
Pichhle hafte main Karachi ke Landi market mein gaya tha. Ek banda tha jo purane laptops khareed ke unhe theek karta tha aur bechta tha. Uske paas koi dukaan nahi thi. Koi registered business nahi tha. Koi tax number nahi tha. Lekin uske paas 3 kaariger kaam karte the, woh rozana 15 se 20 laptops handle karta tha, aur uski mahana aamdan ek mid level corporate job se zyada thi. Kisi survey mein woh nahi aata. Kisi GDP calculation mein uska kaam count nahi hota. Lekin woh exist karta hai. Aur woh akela nahi hai.
Woh Economy Jo Dikhai Nahi Deti
Pakistan mein ek poori duniya hai jo formal records se bahar hai. Sunday bazaar mein kapde bechne wali aurat. WhatsApp group se homemade biryani deliver karne wala larki. Mohalle ka mechanic jiske paas koi certificate nahi lekin shehar ke bade workshops se zyada kaam hai. Ghar se tuition padhane wala ustaad. In sab ka paisa kisi bank account mein nahi jata. Inki income kisi FBR record mein nahi hai. Lekin yeh log Pakistan ki real economic backbone hain.
World Bank ke estimates ke mutabiq, Pakistan ka non-formal sector GDP ka 35% se 40% tak ho sakta hai. Lekin yeh sirf ek conservative estimate hai. Agar aap seedha market mein jayein, local transport dekhein, ghar se chalne wale businesses dekhein, toh yeh number kahin zyada lagta hai. Yeh woh hissa hai jo hum economists ko dikhate nahi lekin jis par hum sab roz bharosa karte hain.
Duniya Jis Cheez Ko Banane Ki Koshish Kar Rahi Hai Woh Hamare Paas Pehle Se Hai
Silicon Valley ne last decade mein ek term popular ki: gig economy. Uber, Fiverr, Airbnb. Log apni skills aur assets use karke extra income kamayein. Governments ne policies banain. Universities ne courses shuru kiye. Billions invest hue is concept ko promote karne mein.
Pakistan mein yeh concept koi naya nahi hai. Hamare rickshaw wale ne yeh 1970 mein shuru kiya tha. Hamare mohalle ki khaala ne yeh ghar se darzigiri karte hue 1985 mein shuru kiya tha. Hamare local sabzi wale ne yeh apni rehri par 1995 mein shuru kiya tha. Hum ne gig economy ko business model ki tarah design nahi kiya tha. Hum ne ise zaroorat ki wajah se jeena seekha tha. Aur is zaroorat ne humein ek aisi adaptability di hai jo duniya ke bahut kam logon ke paas hai.
Trust Ka Woh Nizam Jo Kisi Textbook Mein Nahi Milta
Formal economy ek cheez par chalti hai: contracts. Likhit agreements. Legal enforcement. Lekin Pakistan ki non-formal economy ek aur cheez par chalti hai: rishta. Zabaan. Izzat.
Karachi mein cloth market mein crores ka maal rozana bina kisi written contract ke haath badalta hai. Ek dukan dar doosre ko maal deta hai, mahine baad paisa aata hai, koi guarantee nahi, koi cheque nahi. Sirf ek dusre ki izzat aur market mein reputation. Yeh system surprisingly efficient hai. Default rate formal banking se kahin kam hai. Kyunki yahan penalty sirf paisa nahi, izzat bhi hai.
Harvard Business School waale is cheez ko study karne aate hain. Hum ise apni zindagi ka hissa samajhte hain aur dhyan nahi dete.
Crisis Mein Kaam Aati Hai Yeh Economy
2022 ki floods. 2023 ki inflation. Dollar ki qeemat ka asman chhoona. Har baar jab Pakistan ka formal sector hilta hai, yeh non-formal economy stabilizer ban jaati hai.
Jab multinational companies ne staff cut kiye, woh log ghar se kaam shuru kar letay hain. Jab imports mehenge hue, local alternatives banana shuru ho jaate hain. Jab formal credit band hua, committee system ne kaam kiya. Pakistan ki yeh har crisi mein survive karne ki jo taqat hai, iska ek bada hissa is non-formal resilience ki wajah se hai.
Economists ise informality ki problem kehte hain. Main ise adaptive genius kehta hoon.
Digital Revolution Ne Ise Aur Taqatwar Bana Diya
Kuch saal pehle tak yeh non-formal economy sirf local thi. Mohalle tak, bazaar tak, shehar tak. Ab woh Facebook groups hain jahan Lahore ki aurat Karachi mein bechti hai. WhatsApp channels hain jahan homemade achar nationwide jaata hai. Online classifieds hain jahan ek banda apni purani car directly buyer ko bechta hai bina kisi dealer ke. Mobile payments ne in transactions ko aur aasaan bana diya.
Yeh informality ab scale ho rahi hai. Aur yahi cheez is economy ko agla ek das saal mein aur bhi zyada powerful banane wali hai.
Problem Yeh Nahi Ke Yeh Economy Informal Hai
Main yeh nahi keh raha ke taxes nahi hone chahiye ya registration zaroor nahi. Main yeh keh raha hoon ke jab hum Pakistan ki economic discussion karte hain toh hum sirf formal sector ko economy samajhte hain. Aur jab formal sector struggle karta hai toh hum kehte hain economy kharab hai.
Hamare analysis mein woh aurat nahi aati jo ghar se 50 lunch boxes roz banati hai. Woh nahi aata jo purane phones fix karke Amazon par bechta hai. Woh rickshaw driver nahi aata jo apni sawari se ziada ek information network hai us area mein. Lekin yeh sab log hain. Yeh sab kaam kar rahe hain. Yeh sab Pakistan ko aage le ja rahe hain.
Aakhri Baat
Agla dafa jab koi kehne lage ke Pakistan ki economy theek nahi ho rahi, toh ek baar apne aas paas dekhein. Woh doodh wala jo subah 5 baje aa jaata hai. Woh tailor jo shadi ki dress 3 din mein tayar kar deta hai. Woh IT freelancer jo ghar ke ek kamre se European clients ko serve kar raha hai. Woh student jo tuition parha ke apni fees khud nikaal raha hai.
Yeh sab ek economy ka hissa hain. Ek aisi economy jise samjhne ke liye koi bhi model abhi tak kaafi nahi raha. Aur shayad isi mein hamari sabse badi taqat chupi hui hai.
