The writer is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute professor of biomedical engineering, international health and medicine at Boston University. He tweets @mhzaman
As I was landing in Pakistan, I had expected part of our 24 hour news cycle to note with sadness the loss of someone who came from our neighbouring country, went through the system and never forgot her roots. I had expected at least some people to talk about science, the pursuit of perfection, and to take pride in the first woman Fields Medalist, who came from the region. It was not to be. While the news about politics was not unexpected, there was plenty of inane international news ranging from celebrity birthdays to new dance numbers, but no mention of Maryam Mirzakhani. I switched channels, looked online at the channels’ websites. But found nothing. Beyond Iran, the discussion in the US, Europe and even the Far East was about pursuit of excellence, the importance of immigration, and a celebration of the work of those who are endowed with exceptional intellectual gifts. We remained deathly silent on any of those topics. It is unclear to me whether this was due to our Saudi benefactors, a sectarian snub, or a rigorous pursuit of a science-free society. Perhaps, all of the above.
My issue with lack of interest in the life or achievements of Maryam is more than about a person. While the person herself was remarkable, and offers so much for us to think about, there is a bigger question of learning from our southwestern neighbour. Despite an international embargo for a quarter century, revolutions and an authoritarian regime, their institutions continue to produce scholars of outstanding quality. Similar challenges would have crippled most other nations. Maryam was exceptional, but there are thousands of scholars, in all disciplines, who go through the Iranian system and shine at the highest of global standards. Beyond public education, there are other areas where Iran has a lot to offer to us. Their public health system, which is a blend of public and private components, and has been successful in integrating medical education with health provision, has plenty of lessons for a country like Pakistan that struggles with a broken and unstructured system and a high burden of disease.
The argument to engage with our southwestern neighbour is not just based on their success and their systems, but also on a shared culture and history that are certainly a lot stronger than the neighbour in the north. The structural basis of our language, the script, poetry and art, are a common heritage. Perhaps in a world where the discussion starts and ends with CPEC, which is considered to be a cure for all our ills, a stronger scientific and education engagement with anyone but China is implausible.
It is not to say that Iran is perfect or that there aren’t challenges in restarting the relationship with Iran. Our extreme dependence on Saudi Arabia, pressure from the US administration, and Iranian relations with India all have contributed to our inability to benefit from those who have so much to offer. Yet, a blind eye to a neighbour, that shares its history, culture and language, in pursuit of pastures that may be green but toxic, is neither prudent nor patriotic.
A new government is in town. One hopes that it continues the good policies of the last few years and revisits the ones that are problematic. A slight left turn, in policy and engagement, in education and in health, may actually be a shorter and a more robust path to societal improvement.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2017.
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