If you compare Karachi and Lahore as two cities, Karachi remains the larger, and more economically significant of Pakistan’s two largest cities. But compare them as the core of their respective economic regions within the country, and it is not even close: the economic region of which Lahore is the center is, by far, the larger of the two, and is one of the densest mega regions in the world.
Because while Karachi is a bright lone star on the coast of the Arabian Sea, Lahore is the beating heart of the Lahore Megalopolis, the largest city in a belt that runs from Peshawar through GT Road down to Lahore and then on to Multan, with a small off-shoot in Faisalabad.
In this article, we at Profit are putting forward a new proposition: that the Lahore megalopolis should be added to the global list of mega regions, and that its existence represents both a testimonial to the modest successes of some economic policies of the government of decades past and its still nascent status represents what work must be done to make Pakistan an economically prosperous country.
We would also like to state at the outset what this does not mean: it does not mean that the key to Pakistan’s economic future is to keep spending the bulk of the country’s infrastructure budget developing Lahore, as has been the Sharif Brothers’ modus operandi. The content in this publication is expensive to produce. But unlike other journalistic outfits, business publications have to cover the very organizations that directly give them advertisements. Hence, this large source of revenue, which is the lifeblood of other media houses, is severely compromised on account of Profit’s no-compromise policy when it comes to our reporting. No wonder, Profit has lost multiple ad deals, worth tens of millions of rupees, due to stories that held big businesses to account. Hence, for our work to continue unfettered, it must be supported by discerning readers who know the value of quality business journalism, not just for the economy but for the society as a whole.To read the full article, subscribe and support independent business journalism in Pakistan
