Where was Pakistan?

Last month, the UN high level forum on science, technology and innovation kicked off at the headquarters in New York. The forum’s aim was to mobilise science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that all member states have agreed on. There is little doubt that the 17 SDGs ranging from better environment to equitable health to poverty eradication need science, technology and inclusive innovation. In fact, for many of the aims there is no chance of success without robust investment in science and innovation and a global partnership for sustainability.

The forum, which was kicked off by the president of the UN General Assembly, brought together ambassadors from dozens of countries and their representatives at the UN mission, stakeholders from academia, NGOs and civil society leaders. In addition, there were eminent scientists from around the world, chief scientists and technology advisers to various governments, members of national scientific academies and students from all over the world.

There was also a strong presence from a large number of African countries from Cameroon to Zimbabwe, Kenya to Zambia. Latin American countries were also well represented. Among our neighbours both India and Bangladesh had a very strong presence and so did Japan and China. Colleagues from the UAE and Saudi Arabia were part of important sessions on mobilising youth and women, and discussed national policies and infrastructure to indigenise manufacturing. Dozens of other countries participated actively in discussions. Institutions such as the World Bank, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) were engaged throughout the meeting.

While I was there in my capacity as a researcher and a professor, and not representing Pakistan, the Pakistani mission, or representatives from the research, civil society or the science policy domain were nowhere to be found. The sixth-most populous country in the world was not represented in any of the main or side events. There were no eminent Pakistani scholars or scientists, no national development experts or thought leaders and no student contingent.

I will never know whether it was oversight, ignorance or indifference, but what I do know is that there is a growing gap between our rhetoric and our action. We can continue to claim, all we want, about the next Asian tiger and our development ready to take off, but when it comes to global engagement, discussion of policy and practice, identification of challenges and opportunities, empty rhetoric will not cut it.

But perhaps it is part of a bigger picture where our national discourse on development, particularly through science and technology, is at best, an afterthought. A colleague at the meeting asked me who was the chief science adviser to the government of Pakistan? I thought and thought, looked online and even tried to call a couple of people. All I found was a website (that is not even hosted by the government of Pakistan server; http://most.comsatshosting.com/ContactUs.aspx) that is, to put it mildly, cryptic and outdated. Perhaps asking for an independent science adviser, when we do not have a foreign minister, is too much to ask for.

The recent conversation on development among our elected officials, unfortunately, is almost exclusively from the lens of our northern neighbour. While the relationship is important and fundamental to our geopolitical outlook, we have to recognise that not all roads to development go through CPEC. CPEC cannot be a solution to all our ills. Our ability to be globally engaged in rich conversations, to present our case and to learn from our peers must continue to be an important tenant of our science and technology development strategy.

Each country will chart its own course as it tries to meet the sustainable development goals. But none will be able to achieve it with just rhetoric.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2017.

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