A sci-tech future

If Pakistan is to compete in a fast-paced world, it must work on building bridges with scientific communities abroad

We live in a technologically advanced world, where software and machines determine growth and development. If Pakistan is to compete in such a fast-paced world, it must work on building bridges with scientific communities abroad. The fact remains that the country remains light-years behind some more technologically developed countries around the world. This is partly because those at the helm lack the vision of moving Pakistan towards a digital and technological future. Forget experimenting with artificial intelligence, administratively, we continue to use outdated, archaic systems to disseminate and share information.

A tool is only as useful as its user. Only by expanding research and incorporating science and technology in all spheres of social activity and development can we compete with the global world. Unfortunately, whatever little advanced research that is being conducted in Pakistan is done either at institutions dealing with nuclear and cyber warfare or by elite corporations that do not like to share. Development experts, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, students and those working at the grass-root level have little to no access to facilities or technology. These priorities need to shift. Technology can enslave us, but it also has immense potential in helping us find innovative solutions to our wicked problems.

Without technological or scientific assistance, Pakistan cannot solve longstanding issues of droughts, food insecurity, water scarcity, poverty or climate change. Moreover, technology can also help find a cure to multiple diseases and provide treatment to specific ones that are rampant in Pakistan. In order to achieve this, officials must first collaborate with international organisations to secure funding and procure technology. Once we are able ourselves, officials must invest in uplifting Pakistan’s human development index through the collective efforts of development experts, scientists and healthcare workers. This will help in developing local technologies that is configured specifically for Pakistan’s needs.