PAKISTAN IN SEARCH OF ITS ESSENCE
The story of Pakistan is one of fascinating contrasts and contradictions. The movement for Pakistan started with the desire of then defeated people of the subcontinent, to gain freedom from colonial rule. It was nurtured by the ideals of “Pan-Islamism” and a yearning amongst the Muslims of the subcontinent to be a part of a rejuvenated Ummah. This story can be likened to the story of the proverbial stream (Ref 1) that starts amongst lofty snow-covered peaks in the mountains and cuts through or around the terrain that it encounters as it makes its way to the mighty ocean. The Pakistan movement started with lofty ideals and cut through or around the challenges and the opposition posed by one of the mightiest empires, and some of the most charismatic and influential personalities of the 20th century; ultimately carving out an independent homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent.
It was a unique country indeed, divided into two parts, separated by over a thousand miles of hostile territory. While the movement to create this homeland was fueled by a desire to provide a place for peaceful existence to the large Muslim minority of the subcontinent, the actual birth of the country was marred by a mass exodus and the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent people on both sides of the new borders. The “truncated Pakistan" (Ref 2) that came into being to unite and protect the Muslims of the subcontinent, itself ended up being divided into two countries after a civil war just a quarter of a century later.
The Pakistan that is left behind provides amazing contrasts in geography and climate, In a land mass (796,000 square kilometers) smaller than the state of Alaska, the terrain ranges from 8 mountain peaks over 20,000 feet above sea level, where surface temperatures never get above the freezing point, to a vast coastal desert where temperatures exceed 120° F in the shade.
The people of Pakistan provide even more fascinating contrasts than its terrain and climate. On the one hand, the genius of Pakistanis has produced:
- The Human Development Index around which the UN created its development program, and many countries of the world have rethought their economic development strategies.
- A Nobel Prize in Physics for research on subatomic particles.
- Nuclear capability for the nation.
- Leadership and influence in multiple international forums, and institutions.
- A large group of expatriate Pakistanis representing some of the finest talents available and millions of dollars of investments (Ref 3) and assets.
- First ever elected woman Prime Minister in a Muslim country.
Yet in contrast to all these individual achievements, Pakistan’s social indicators are some of the worst in the region, with millions living in poverty and deprived of the basic necessities of life and of the basic civil and political rights in the society. The social indicators have not kept pace even with the economic growth in the country, and the social indicators for females are some of the worst in the world.
The Pakistani nation has often been described as one characterized by “individual excellence and collective failure.” For the millions bearing the brunt of this collective failure, it is as though the stream has finally reached the desert, where it can neither cut through the sand nor go around the obstacles, but keeps turning into a marsh. In order to cross this desert we need to develop a better understanding of this terrain.
OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL INDICATORS
Table 1 compares Pakistan’s social indicators with the averages of South Asia (SAARC) and the developing countries of the world and of the industrial countries, and shows glaring deficiencies. Pakistan lags behind the averages of it's neighbors in South Asia and the developing countries of the world in each one of the three components of the Human development Index. It's investment in the social sector is also meager as compared to the other developing nations.
LIFE EXPECTANCY AND HEALTH
Table 2 traces the improvements in social indicators, reflecting the state of the health of the community over the years. While all indicators show progressive improvement, they have not kept pace with the economic growth and the improvement experienced by the communities with similar backgrounds.
INCOME
Table 3 traces the evolution of some of the key economic indicators in Pakistan’s history. Unfortunately any improvements in the GDP and GNP have been more than offset by the increasing amount of resources required for debt service. The increases in the investments in the social sector have barely kept pace with the needs of a growing population. Thus the proportion of people living without essential social services is decreasing very slowly. At the current rate it will take decades for the vast majority of the people of Pakistan to stand on their own feet and be able to compete (for survival) in the world.
GENDER DISPARITIES
While mothers make the most important decisions during our formative years, the mothers in Pakistan have been the victims of one of the worst forms of deprivations – lack of knowledge (education) to make the decisions, and lack of (economic) independence to have an impact on the decision-making process in society. They are also the last ones in the household to get the nutrition or the healthcare necessary. Table 4 compares the current state of social indicators for males and females in the country.
LITERACY AND EDUCATION
Table 5 shows that the literacy rate in Pakistan has shown progressive improvement. (It should be noted here that the definitions of literacy have changed from time to time). However the mean years of schooling continues to be deplorably low and has actually shown a downward trend. The entire education sector is in need of a major overhaul. If the people of Pakistan have to survive in this age of information and knowledge, then we need an investment much larger than the meager 2% of GNP that has been allocated to the education sector so far.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUSTICE
– TBA
POLITICAL FREEDOMS AND EMPOWERMENT
– TBA
INSTITUTIONS AND GOVERNANCE
– TBA
DISCOVERING OUR ESSENCE
The stream’s attempts to continue its journey through the desert in a manner similar to its journey through the hills and meadows only produced a marsh. So long as it insisted on sticking to it's ways, it could not make any progress. However, once it recalled that before it became a stream it existed in the form of vapor in the clouds that rained on the mountains to create the stream, it realized that it is the essence, and not the form, that matters. It then raised itself into the arms of the wind and crossed the desert to reach its destiny.
We at HDF believe that the essence of Pakistan was defined by the leader of the Pakistan movement, Mohammed Ali Jinnah. In his address to the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947 he stated, “Now, if we want to make this great state of Pakistan happy and prosperous we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well being of the people and especially of the masses and the poor. If you will work in cooperation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet you are bound to succeed.” He further stated, “You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan . . .” These proclamations are perfectly aligned with the vision of the Muslims of the subcontinent who strove for a separate homeland and with the teachings of Islam.
It is in this context that HDF has set itself on a mission “to facilitate a movement for positive social change and community empowerment through mass literacy and enhanced quality of education, universal primary healthcare and grassroots economic development.” We believe that such a movement is essential for the fulfillment of the dream of Pakistan that the Muslims of the subcontinent strove for, and invite everyone to join our HDF family on this journey.
REFERENCES
1. "The Tale of the Sands" in "Tales of the Dervishes" by Idries Shah.
2.
3. Human Development in South Asia 1997, Oxford University Press.
* Data represents nearest year available.