All the three countries have treaded the path of growth and development for nearly Sixty years. But their achievements and failures are diverse, beside the divers strategies of growth pursued by the three countries. Experiences of these countries offer a lesson to each other in the context of economic growth and social development. It would therefore be useful to attempt a comparison of the development experiences of these countries. The present chapter attempt this study with reference to the indicators of comparative development, as these: (I) GDP growth, (II) Structure pf growth in terms of sectoral share in output and employment, (III) Demographic profile, and (IV) Human development.
After independence in 1947, India and Pakistan embarked upon Planned Development Programs. They relied largely on public sector to spearhead the process of growth and development. China adopted a more rigorous model of growth. Established as People's Republic of China in 1949, it decided to bring all critical areas of production-activity under government control. National resources (included all land) were declared a government monopoly. The great leap Forward (GLF) campaign was in their courtyards. As regards agriculture, China resorted to Commune System of Production. It was a system of collective cultivation. Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution was launched in 1965, making it mandatory for the students and professionals to go to the countryside; they were to work with and learn from the rural masses. Briefly, China adopted Statist as a model of growth in which ownership of all resources vested with the state, and the state was to decide what to produce, how to produce and flow whom to produce. It was widely different from the mixed economy model of growth adopted by India and Pakistan.
But, irrespective of the model of growth, till about 1980, the economies of India, China and Pakistan did not show much divergence in the GDP growth rate. They were growing similarly, and at slow pace. Their GDP growth rate hovered around 4 percent per annum. It was around early 1980's in China, mid 80's in Pakistan and early 90's India that a breakthrough in GDP growth was achieved. In all the three countries GDP growth rate showed a substantial rise, moving around 8-9% per annum. The breakthrough in economic growth is attributed to economic reforms in terms of greater reliance on FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) and a greater leaning toward market economy.
