Why Umar Saif is an extraordinary Pakistani

Umar Saif is leading a digital insurgency in Pakistan, bringing transparency to governance, through his shock and awe approach to public-sector reform. The impact of his intervention is rooted in its outrageous simplicity, for example, ghost schools are a problem that has plagued Pakistan for a long time. Why not take selfies with attendance registers at schools via independent inspectors and upload them in real time to monitor the presence and effectiveness of schools?

This is one example of the common sense digital interventions, led by Umar, transforming governance in Pakistan. And yet, almost on cue, like the laws of gravity, Umar’s wings had to be clipped. In August 2017, a sniper’s bullet pierced through the window of his 19^th floor office and landed inches from his chair. The message was one of intimidation. But it didn’t kill his spirit.

Umar continues his work with an energy, ambition and intentionality that I find deeply inspiring, coming from the leader of a public-sector bureaucracy. Even his critics recognise that the impact of his work is visible and palpable. This is why I decided to feature Umar as an Extraordinary Pakistani, in a documentary called Umar Saif: The Troublemaker.

The first thing you notice about Umar in person is his audacity. He doesn’t couch or caveat his vision. He knows exactly what he wants and goes after it with full force. “This country needs radical reform,” Umar says. “It won’t come from criticising or preaching. It will come from demonstrating.”

At the intersection of his professional competence and personal ambition, Pakistan stands to benefit from much-needed digital reform to usher our country into the 21^st century. His resume reads like a rock star version of an academic gone rogue. He was the first Pakistani to be named as one of the top 35 young innovators in the world by MIT Technology Review. Recently, Dr Saif has worked as chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), heading all public-sector IT projects in the government of Punjab since November 2011.

Another notable example of his work in Punjab was using technology to fight dengue fever when this ugly disease struck Pakistan in the last quarter of 2011. The epidemic affected more than 21,000 people and resulted in over 300 deaths. To prevent another outbreak, the PITB developed an android mobile application for real-time information on larvae prevention, detection and public hygiene activities. With these applications, field officials could take geo-tagged photographs of designated areas for dengue surveillance. They were asked to identify larvae breeding hotspots and remove them. As part of the accountability process, they were asked to submit two photographs in this process, showing the situation ‘before’ and ‘after’ action was taken.

The data stream submitted through the android-based mobile application would be plotted on Google maps in real time as the mobile application captured latitude and longitude along with the photographs. An alert generating solution that looked at key variables like positive larvae presence, humidity and temperature was developed to generate warnings proactively and disseminate vital information to all stakeholders.

Umar’s story, like every extraordinary Pakistani I’ve covered over the last five years, shines a spotlight on the heroes quietly making a difference in the country. For every negative story that is amplified non-stop on TV, there are 10 positive stories that don’t get coverage. This is so frustrating.

I’ve been surprised by how many unsung heroes are quietly holding this country together, even as I struggle to cover them with the nuance, panache and punch they deserve. Not all people serving in the government are bad. Nor are the good ones perfect. But they need our support. We need to foster a culture where it’s okay for talented, young Pakistanis to enter the government and become the change we all want to see.

It’ll be fascinating to watch Umar’s trajectory in Pakistan’s political and bureaucratic structure over the next 10 years. An academic who could be earning a lot more abroad, choosing to serve his country instead. Will he be recognised for his contributions or decimated by the system because of the audacity of his vision? We’ll watch him closely. It will help us understand which way this country is going.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2018.

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