Counting paradox
The writer is a Fulbright PhD candidate at Texas A&M University and a graduate of the University of Tokyo
Actions speak louder than words. Contrarily at home; usually we get short on actions and tall on words! The taller we go, the more accomplished we feel. Government ministers are the most relevant example.
Almost every day they are claiming to change the country like never before. On Saturday, its railways is going to be overhauled, Monday claims to make PIA leader in the flying industry, Tuesday boasts on revolutionary reforms in national curriculum — not to mention our obsession with being declared ‘Sadiq and Ameen nation’ and to make people across the First World to stand in queue for applying for jobs in Pakistan.
Alarmingly, politicians are not only to blame. Hallucination exists everywhere! Grab any newspaper, pamphlet of a housing society, broacher of an airline, courses offered by universities, any minute step towards police reform, revision of school syllabus, bureaucratic amendments, citizen complaint cells, insurance cards, sports complex, a roadside academy rusty billboard, etc, one never misses a claim: the first-ever in history!
Unfortunately, we missed a basic school lesson: every big task consists of several small ones; done precisely and perfectly. As a nation, we acutely need to learn the art of breaking down our moonlit goals into small accomplishable tasks. It will reduce frustration, anxiety, depression in society and embarrassment for the government machinery too as they don’t have to defend their unkept promises.
The obsession to be the global leader is going too far for now. A reality check is recommended. Late-night political talk shows speak volumes of our lack of knowledge of the problems, ground realities and complications of our solution. Our daily candid conversations are replete with sweeping statements. Of course, most of these claims are not supported by scientific data. High emotions play a role.
Pakistan desperately needs steps to enhance its repute in the international community. Those of us who have to travel abroad are well familiar with the turmoils of using an unwelcoming passport. Tourists, businessmen, diplomats and even students find it hard to get a visa to other countries. The Pakistani passport has been ranked as the fourth worst passport for international travel for the third continuous year, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 31 destinations around the world, according to the Henley Passport Index 2022. In contrast, our neighbour India has visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 59 destinations around the world.
Expatriates come next. We are generally very proud of our expatriates who send the much-needed foreign exchange back home; what we lack to appreciate if these people have the right type of skills, and training to work in an international environment. Workers from Pakistan usually end up getting lesser pay for the same job compared to their colleagues from India and Bangladesh because of the lack of basic training provided by the home country. Additionally, if the host companies abroad don’t keep their contract, the Pakistani embassy abroad usually just adds to their turmoil instead of giving any sort of relief to them.
Lastly, its law and order. During the last 10 years more than 76 Pakistani journalists have lost their lives. The Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists have both declared Pakistan as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists — more perilous than Mexico, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Early marriage remains a serious problem, with 21 per cent of girls in Pakistan marrying before the age of 18, according to Unicef. Over 5 million primary-school-age children are out of school, most of them girls, for reasons including lack of schools in their areas, child marriage and gender discrimination.
Efforts towards the above-mentioned problems can pay high dividends to Pakistan in term to be a global player in the international community. It’s high time that we changed, analysed our lackluster position in the world and took efforts for the course correction.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2022.
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