The Price of Banning the Opposition: A Businessman on Losing Pakistan's Future Workforce

The never-ending political drama in Pakistan - the court cases, the rallies, the talk of banning the opposition - is more than just headlines for the people of Islamabad. For local business owners, the constant uncertainty is a daily, painful reality that hits their ledgers and their livelihoods.

We sat down with Mirza, who runs a mid-sized IT and services business in a busy commercial district of Islamabad, to get his take on how the political noise affects the simple act of doing business.

The Vicious Cycle

The consensus among economists is that Pakistan is caught in a vicious cycle: political instability leads to erratic and inconsistent economic policies, which in turn destroys investor confidence, fuels inflation, and slows growth. Mirza sees this play out every day. His industry, which relies on a stable environment and reliable infrastructure, is particularly vulnerable to the sudden shocks of protests, internet shutdowns, and policy reversals that have become common in the capital.

Questions for Mirza

Q1: “Mirza, when there’s a major political event-a big PTI rally, a lockdown, or a sudden court hearing-how quickly and how badly does that impact your business here in the capital?”

"It’s instant. If there’s a call for a protest in a major commercial zone, my staff can’t get in. We have to shut down the office because the roads are blocked, or worse, because there’s a security scare. This isn't Karachi where you can work around the corners; Islamabad is small and everything gets jammed. If the internet gets slowed or cut - which happens - my entire service delivery model collapses. We lose a full day’s work, which is not just lost money, but lost trust with our international clients. They don’t care about our politics; they care about their deadline."

Q2: “Leaving the immediate protests aside, how does the constant talk of government changes and opposition bans affect your actual business planning? Are you worried about the tax policy, for example?”

"Worry is an understatement. It’s impossible to plan for more than six months. Every new government comes in, and the first thing they do is blame the last one and reverse their policies. We see this with tax incentives, import duties, and even regulations for our sector. You might invest heavily based on one policy, and three months later, it’s gone. It's like trying to build a house on a sinking ship. We are supposed to be growing, but instead, we are perpetually in survival mode, hoarding cash and delaying any big investment until we see a flicker of stability."

Q3: “Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is crucial for Pakistan. When a major opposition party like PTI is being officially targeted with ban resolutions, what message does that send to potential foreign partners in your industry?”

"It sends the worst possible message: Risk. They see a country that is willing to sideline or destroy its most popular political mandate just because it’s inconvenient. This is not about one leader; it’s about the rule of law. A foreign investor sees this and thinks, 'If the government can change the political rules on a whim, what stops them from seizing my assets or rewriting my contracts?' They want predictability. When there is no political predictability, there is no economic confidence. They simply take their money to a more stable country in the region, and we are left behind."

Q4: “Finally, we hear a lot about Pakistan’s talented youth leaving the country. Are you seeing this 'brain drain' affect your ability to hire and retain qualified staff?”

"Absolutely. The inflation and the rupee depreciation are killing the morale of the middle class, especially the highly skilled. If a young IT graduate can earn three times as much working remotely for a foreign company, or move abroad for better stability and opportunities, why would they stay? They look at the current situation - the political fighting, the high cost of living, the lack of a clear future - and they vote with their feet. We are losing our best talent. The political elite are fighting for power, but the rest of us are fighting for the country’s future workforce, and right now, we are losing that battle."

The Bottom Line

Mirza's perspective is clear: for the average Pakistani businessman, the political confrontation in Islamabad is not an abstract battle of ideas, but a direct threat to the ability to operate and grow. Until the political elite find a way to agree on the basic rules of engagement - allowing an opposition party to exist and compete freely - the economy will remain tethered to the whims of political instability.