You only get jobs in Pakistan on the basis of social connections — no matter how educated you are.
ISLAMABAD: This is in response to the article “Wasting our time on the internet” by Mariam Malik published in The Express Tribune on January 9. The writer is asking why the youth of Pakistan isn’t building its career on the internet, or writing for publications.
The answer to the first query is that you only get jobs in Pakistan on the basis of social connections — no matter how educated you are. If you are not well connected, then even getting a reasonable job to make ends meet is difficult, let alone a job that matches the kind of career you are seeking. I have seen people holding M Phil degrees wait at the gates of private schools for jobs carrying salary tags of a mere Rs20,000 a month. And all this is coming from someone who has been unemployed for five years; there isn’t a place in the city I live in, Islamabad, where you won’t find my CV.
The answer to the second question is that for getting something published, once again one needs some solid connections; otherwise, the dustbin is where all the efforts go.
Naeem Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2014.
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