Ibrahim Khan

December 20, 2012

Pakistan’s Hamiltonian Age

David Brooks, the New York Times columnist, was at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum a few days ago. Brooks discussed the way forward for the United States following the reelection of Barack Obama but one anecdote he mentioned struck me as instantly applicable to the present struggle Pakistan faces.

When Alexander Hamilton was 12 years old, his mother died in the bed next to him. His father had already deserted him and the death of his mother left him orphaned. Following his mother’s death, his uncle adopted him, only to die shortly after. He was then adopted by his grandparents, who also died. At 14, a young Hamilton had nothing. Over the next decade though, his fortunes changed. By 25, Hamilton was a notable war hero and the chief of staff to George Washington. By 35, he had authored the Federalist Papers and had established himself as a successful lawyer. By 40, Hamilton had retired as Treasury Secretary of the United States. His is a story of awesome social mobility. Through progressive industrial and social policies, he gave struggling boys and girls like him the chance to succeed. The system he designed became the hallmark of American progress in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Where social mobility and the ideal of the American Dream became the bedrock of the American superpower, similar social mobility can become the avenue for Pakistan’s global eminence. The following decades should be remembered as Pakistan’s equivalent to the Hamiltonian Age where social mobility is possible and probable. We need to become a country that provides its citizens with the tools and opportunities to survive in today’s globalized capitalist economy. A Hamiltonian Pakistan will be one in which basic necessities like food and water are no longer craved. A Hamiltonian Pakistan will provide universal education and healthcare. A Hamiltonian Pakistan will thrive on meritocracy by rewarding effort and creativity. Most importantly, a Hamiltonian Pakistan will elicit hope and not despair.

The ascent of a Hamiltonian Pakistan will require our focus and priority to be on improving economic conditions. As is the beauty of living in a democracy, the coming months will provide each of us with the opportunity to seek the economic development required for a climate of social mobility. With the recent progress in electoral transparency through the development of legitimate voter rolls, now more than ever the political process depends largely on us, the people of Pakistan. In developing nations like ours, public leadership and governance can have a direct and tangible impact on economic development. So, as election season heats up, we must look for candidates and parties that have the ability to serve in a manner that enables the necessary focus on economic development. It is a simple criteria, but one that will not fail us.

Progress is a structured process. One election will not transform our lives. But one election can certainly begin the process of transformation we eagerly seek. While we need to start with economic progress, there is additional progress Pakistan craves. What we must not forget though is that this additional progress – let us loosely refer to it as social progress – will follow economic progress. Selecting the better candidate in our constituency may feel minute in the greater context of the progress our country must make, but wholesale change is achieved with bits of progress on a broad scale. Social mobility will be the basis of tomorrow’s Pakistan. To achieve that tomorrow, we must vote intelligently today.

A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Saturday, December 8, 2012: http://tribune.com.pk/story/476512/pakistans-hamiltonian-age/.

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September 20, 2012

Innovation is the answer for Pakistan

It is now widely accepted that Pakistan is a country with a robust societal structure. In his recent book, Pakistan: A Hard Country, Anatol Lieven states that Pakistan is “in many ways surprisingly tough and resilient as a state and a society.” This resilience manifests itself in many forms; the country’s largest welfare organization, the Edhi Foundation, is an oft-cited example. Although he started his organization with only 5,000 rupees, Edhi now has more than 300 centers across the country. His foundation has saved 20,000 abandoned babies, trained 40,000 qualified nurses, housed 50,000 orphans and delivered 1 million babies. This is an extraordinary achievement for a private organization that refuses to accept government aid.

And Edhi is not alone. There are countless other examples that demonstrate the strength of our society. The population’s ability to respond to natural disasters – like the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the floods that submerged the country in 2011 – is recognized globally. In 2009, Pakistanis around the country opened up their homes for IDPs from Swat. Pakistani society coalesces in times of peril; this is what gives us strength.

Supplementing this societal strength, there are several promising trends worth mentioning. Pakistan’s retail economy is meeting the country’s burgeoning consumer demand. Outside crowded urban areas, the country’s notorious underground economy is in plain sight. Despite poor R&D, bumper sugar and cotton crops are expected this season. Our banks have huge spreads at about 7.5 percent, compared to an average of 3.5 to 4 percent in the developing world – a clear indication that there is room for additional availability of loanable funds. More than 31 million Pakistanis – approximately 17 percent of the population – use the Internet, with the number of users tripling in the last five years. On the mobile front, 120 million people – roughly 2 out of every 3 Pakistanis – subscribe to a mobile service. About 70 percent of Pakistan’s population is under 30.

With booming retail and rural economies, an increasing inclination to technology and a very young population, opportunity surrounds today’s Pakistan. But, it is not enough to simply point this out. The country will progress only if we are able to harness this potential and utilize the opportunity of our times. The past has demonstrated that this task is not easy. But in the past, we have ignored a usable mechanism that will aid our progress. In the past, we have ignored innovation.

Now is the time to change the past. In today’s Pakistan, innovation must become a large part of the public psyche. In our schools, innovation should be stressed and at the workplace, it should be encouraged. Innovation requires risk, but it provides a substantial reward. It provides solutions to previously puzzling problems. Every mind, every Pakistani, can innovate – all of us have something to strive for. If you spearhead an NGO, embrace social entrepreneurship and follow the example of organizations like Ashoka. If you can program, build medical software that can save lives. If you are a mobile service provider, empower young Pakistanis with the ability to learn through their phones. If you are a bank manager, utilize the space your large spread gives you to increase the availability of capital. If you grow sugar cane, rice or wheat, embrace new varieties – there is opportunity in change. Start small and build on that.

A new Pakistan requires new thinking and new practices. No matter what the specific problem, innovation is the answer.

A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Thursday, September 20, 2012: http://tribune.com.pk/story/439355/innovation-is-the-answer-for-pakistan/.

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June 19, 2012

The fallacy of collective wisdom

As a nation, we easily indulge in blind faith. Without delving too far into the past, the last decade provides a variety of examples that illustrate this tendency. When General Musharraf was still around, we believed dispatching the dictator would instantly mend all that ailed our society. Before the judges were restored, we were adamant that their restoration would fix our crumbling justice system. Now, as America is leaving, we are sure that the geopolitics of the region will sort itself out when the hegemon retreats. Domestically, many now believe that as soon as Imran Khan takes oath as Prime Minister a series of magical events will be set in motion and change will arrive. If our past record in blind faith is anything to go by, our current indulgence does not bode well for the future.

Our tendency to entrust blind faith is representative of the fallacy of collective wisdom. Most significantly, it represents our reluctance to take responsibility of the inherent problems our society faces. We are ostriches who follow blindly, with our heads buried in the sand while marching towards our singular goal. We hang on to bits of hope, without recognizing the need to stand up to – and eventually surmount – our challenges. Unfortunately, the bitter truth is that change does not arrive by hanging on to bits of hope. Hope is an undeniable prerequisite for change, but blindly following, hoping for the best without acting, is not the avenue through which this change arrives.

The path to progress requires an awareness of the need to struggle. Pakistan is beset with serious challenges. In order to overcome these challenges the entire country will need to work towards a set of common goals. What will such an effort entail? For example, to overcome the energy crisis, we will need to find the right balance between providing residential sufficiency and industrial growth, while focusing on achieving national consensus on the construction of the Kalabagh Dam and the pursuit of alternative sources of energy (including wind and nuclear). Similarly, in the aftermath of the United States’ departure from Afghanistan, it may be necessary to give the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) additional attention and resources. This will require the entire nation, from Karachi to Chitral, to make sacrifices. Neither of these goals will be achieved by entrusting blind, singular faith in one event. Change is a multidimensional process.

With that said, it is a single event that sets change in motion. While the departure of a dictator and the restoration of judges were both praiseworthy events, what we failed to realize was that these events were merely the beginning of the process of change. Unfortunately, we began both these processes, but cruelly left them unfinished. The ascent of democracy that accompanied the departure of a dictator was meant to lead to a growing economy, better governance and less corruption. Unfortunately, it led to the opposite. Our economy is in shambles, governance is unheard of and corruption is omnipresent. Similarly, the restoration of our judges has not prevented injustice from taking place in lower courts. Neither has it improved the rule of law in our country.

As with all processes, unfinished change is useless. Collective blind faith towards a singular goal can be helpful for Pakistan, but only if the achievement of one goal propels us towards the next goal required in the process of change. Pakistanis are capable of bringing change, but we cannot afford to be shortsighted. We must learn to march on following our first step. We cannot forget that change is a series of steps in the right direction and not just the first such step.

A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Tuesday, June 19, 2012: http://tribune.com.pk/story/395432/the-fallacy-of-collective-wisdom/.

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March 30, 2012

Pakistan’s voter turnout conundrum

In a democracy, a citizen’s vote is an empowering right. It is tragic then that in 2008’s general elections, voter turnout across Pakistan was a meager 44.1 percent. In 2008, Bangladesh had an 87.4 percent voter turnout in its parliamentary elections. In India’s 2009 general election, voter turnout across the five phases was 59.7 percent. In Turkey, another large Muslim country, turnout was 83.2 percent in the 2011 general election. Pakistan’s low voter turnout is concerning. To make our democracy work, voting is of paramount importance.

In search of an explanation for this anomaly, I analyzed turnout in each district of Punjab (focusing on Punjab due to availability of data) through a simple linear regression model. Using data from the 1998 Census, the 2011 Punjab Development Statistics Report, the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey, the Lights Report of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the 2008 General Election Report, I found interesting – and often surprising – correlations.

Most tellingly, there is a strong positive correlation between income per capita and voter turnout. In large cities, areas with higher living standards have lower voter turnout (in Lahore, compare Walton to Defence). Across Punjab though, this is not the case; in fact, the opposite holds. In 2008, districts with higher levels of income per capita had higher voter turnout. Outside urban centers, economic development drives voter turnout. There is a simple explanation for this trend: regions with proportionally higher levels of income have more at stake during an election. The citizens of these regions are also less likely to be disheartened by the political process.

While income strongly correlates with turnout, literacy rates across districts do not. An area with relatively high literacy is not necessarily going to have high voter turnout. Again, this defies conventional wisdom. It is generally believed that with a higher prevalence of education there is more involvement with the political process. But, puzzlingly, the data say otherwise. There is a potential explanation for this incongruity: the literacy rate statistic is inherently flawed. An individual is considered “literate” if they can read a newspaper and write a simple letter. If turnout was regressed on a statistic of educational quality, perhaps a stronger correlation would be observable.

Education levels apparently do not push people to vote, but crime is certainly a disincentive for voters. Crime per capita in a district is negatively correlated with voter turnout in that district. If a district has high crime per capita, voter turnout is bound to be low in that district. As law and order improves and crime per capita falls, turnout is higher. When voters feel secure, they have more faith in the system and have a greater incentive to turn up on election day.

As the correlation of crime per capita and turnout shows, local circumstances are important factors in determining voter turnout in Pakistan. The number of union councils per capita is positively correlated with voter turnout. If a district has more union councils per capita, that district is more likely to have a higher voter turnout. This is probably because as the number of union councils per capita increases, individual voters have greater interaction with local government officials. With greater interaction, voters are more inclined to vote during a general election.

It is often assumed that compared to urban constituencies, rural constituencies have a higher turnout. Land utilization ratios (cultivated area as a percentage of available area) are a convenient way to test this commonly accepted hypothesis. It turns out that land utilization is slightly positively correlated with voter turnout. If a district has a high land utilization ratio, it is more likely to have high voter turnout, confirming our assumed hypothesis. Compared to urban areas, on average, rural areas are more likely to have high voter turnout.

Diverse sets of factors correlate with voter turnout in Pakistan’s 2008 general election. While it is important to remember the statistician’s mantra of correlation is not causation, each of these factors lends insight into our low turnout. With economic development, we can expect turnout to rise. As law and order improves, voters will be more comfortable at polling stations. As local government improves, confidence in the political process will heighten and voters will be proud of their right to vote. We often speak about the evolution of democracy, but democracy cannot evolve unless we vote for the right candidates. As my research shows, we are not pushed to vote unless incomes rise, crime rates fall and local governments are strengthened. But none of this is possible if we do not utilize our vote.

It is most disappointing to see turnout low in urban areas, where education levels are higher. If we have been privileged with an education, the least we can do is to vote, thereby fulfilling our basic responsibility as citizens of this democracy. We need to lead our country out of this vicious cycle of low turnout and into a better future. Luckily for us, it starts with ticking a box.

A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Friday, March 30, 2012: http://tribune.com.pk/story/357032/pakistans-voter-turnout-conundrum/.

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January 19, 2012

Education reform: a student’s perspective

Ten percent of the world’s children who do not go to primary school live in Pakistan. Twenty-six countries are poorer than Pakistan but send more of their children to school. A meager 1.5 percent of Pakistan’s GDP is spent on schooling which is less than the subsidies given to PIA, PEPCO and Pakistan Steel. The average teacher is absent once a week. Our constitution gives every child the right to an education until the age of sixteen, and yet twenty-five million Pakistani children do not have this right. These facts are courtesy of the Education Emergency Pakistan movement and they illustrate the dire situation our education system is facing.

Pakistan’s human resources bear immense, untapped potential. If utilized appropriately, our human capital can become the basis of progressive change.

Currently, education in Pakistan is rooted in rote learning and absent-minded memorization. Creativity and problem solving are disregarded. Knowledge is thrust at students, who have devised ways to retain the knowledge temporarily, regurgitate it and move on. But this is not the essence of education. An acceptable modern education is one that gives a student the best preparation for life after school. In our working lives, we have to make decisions and solve problems that require creative solutions. And yet Pakistani students do not learn these essential skills in school.

To make things worse, in most secondary and post-secondary examinations, a large part of the material is left to choice. In order to pass an examination, 33 percent of the attempted material needs to be correct. This means that a student will pass an examination by knowing less than 33 percent of a given subject’s material. Nowhere else in the world is the standard this low.

The massive inequality present in Pakistan’s education system needs to be eradicated through various forms of regulation. We must devise a Pakistani system of education that is recognized internationally. Our current system has lost international credibility, which forces students to take O’ and A’ Level examinations. Then there is the difference between the Urdu medium and English medium systems. All of this results in an urgent need for a coherent education policy that is able to form a unified framework under which all Pakistani students can receive an internationally recognized education.

As Heather Wolpert-Gawron suggests in a recent book, an education system should value certain skills. Collaboration and communication should be encouraged. Problem solving should be practiced, decision making learned and questioning valued. Students should be comfortable with synthesizing information and listening to others. Most importantly, they should develop leadership skills. Leadership is of particular importance to Pakistan given the current leadership void in our country.

At the tertiary level, the idea of a liberal arts education is gaining traction worldwide. Its core philosophy is promoting choice and creativity, both of which are absent from our education system. We need to adopt such a philosophy. As Sir Ken Robinson states in Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, “Human intelligence is richer and more dynamic than we have been led to believe by formal academic education.”

Apprenticeship is prevalent in Pakistan and thus cannot be ignored when discussing education reform. Many poor children, who cannot afford an education, drop out of school in order to learn specific skills that range from tailoring to mechanical work. Often these workers are misused and denied basic labor rights. These children need to remain in schools where their apprentice work is institutionalized and they are given a basic level of education. This will ensure an educated technical workforce, which is essential for any developing nation.

We need to act and act soon. Children need to be sent to schools and colleges and in the process these institutions need to be reformed. Education reform must be emphasized, as it is today’s youth that will determine the state of tomorrow’s Pakistan.

A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Thursday, January 19, 2012: http://tribune.com.pk/story/323600/education-reform-a-students-perspective/.

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November 6, 2011

Utilising youthful exuberance

Pakistan’s interesting demographics will play a large role in its future. Roughly 42 percent of our population is 14 and under. Only 4 percent of the population is above 65. If utilized properly, our youthful population has the ability to make Pakistan the place all of us know it can be. Given the unique demographic position we find ourselves in, the current period will play a crucial role in our history. If we want it badly enough, the next few years can alter the state of our nation.

Moving away from the abstract, what is required? For starters, the last week of October was a good one for Pakistan’s democracy. The freedom and power of political activism is what sustains a democracy. Hence, it is encouraging to see people come out in droves in support of the parties they believe hold the solutions to their problems. Moreover, it is highly encouraging to see young people turnout, considering the youth has rarely played a key role in Pakistan’s political scene. What is most important now is to ensure that this political activism is translated into tangible change through democratic means. If there is anything that a vast majority of Pakistanis agree on today it is that change is required.

But, questions linger. What kind of change is required? Who will bring this change? How will the change come about? The answers to these questions are not immediate, but they can be found. The signs from last week are encouraging, but more political action is required.

In 2008, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), 35,170,425 people turned out to vote in Pakistan’s general election. At the time, that figure represented 44 percent of the population eligible to vote. The IPU monitors dozens of countries, but Pakistan’s voter turnout percentage was the third lowest out of all the countries they monitor. This abysmal figure represents a problem that needs to be solved going forward. Some of the 56 percent who did not turn out to vote in 2008 are part of those craving change today. The best way for them and the rest of the population to enact change is through their vote. The greatest strength of a democracy is found in the immense power a single voter has. If the vast majority of the country fails to utilize their vote, our democracy becomes significantly weaker.

When change arrives in Pakistan, it will be for the better. Often when countries transform, there is an evolution across the board: the politicians mature, the state is bolstered, the society strengthens and the economy picks up. It is almost as if a change in one sector elicits change in the others.

The renewed sense of political activism we find ourselves witnessing may be the catalyst for the change the nation is craving. A new sense of hope has been ignited. We may not know it yet, but we have already started the journey to a better tomorrow. Pakistan’s youth has an immense burden to carry, but at more than a hundred million strong that burden is one we can handle.

A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Sunday, November 6, 2011: http://tribune.com.pk/story/288137/utilising-youthful-exuberance/.

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September 29, 2011

Our time is now

About a year ago to the day, in the aftermath of last year’s floods, the World Food Program announced that roughly 70% of Pakistan’s population did not have adequate access to proper nutrition. The summer months of 2010 were akin to a prolonged nightmare for Pakistan and its people with millions either dead, homeless or hopeless. But natural disasters occur and you have to deal with them. The aftermath of the floods resulted in global mobilization of both Pakistanis and non-Pakistanis. Most importantly, Pakistanis at home opened their eyes and arms for those that needed their help. The tragedy of last year’s floods is not that they happened, but rather that we failed to ensure preparedness once the rains returned this summer.

A year later, it is sad to see the country rapidly heading to a similar state of crisis. It is almost criminal that millions are once again suffering from severe flooding in the same areas that lived through a nightmare as recently as last year. We cannot control what the heavens drop down at us, but we can control how we cope with what is dropped.

While the rains are drowning lives in Sindh, mosquitoes are biting away in Punjab. Dengue fever is not foreign to Pakistanis. We have faced the disease for several years and yet we are dealing with it as if we are as helpless as Londoners were against the plague in the seventeenth century. Learning from what has occurred in seasons passed, we should establish working systems not only to treat the disease but also to prevent it from happening in the future. The task is not impossible as Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia have all combatted the disease. Instead of implementing precarious stopgap measures and hoping the disease does not return, we need to face the problem and solve it.

Pakistan today is a country facing several conflicts and struggling on various fronts. Although most of the hurdles we face are daunting, once they are crossed, the path to progress will be more rapidly traversed. The night is indeed darkest before dawn, but it is essential for us to learn from our mistakes.

In demanding times, great nations rise. The Japanese did whatever they could when struck with an earth-shattering quake and accompanying tsunami. In the aftermath of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plants, the Japanese government asked its citizens to reduce electricity usage. Recent numbers have shown that usage has decreased by 20 percent.

As citizens, we have shown in the past that we are able to serve when called upon. But instead of simply reacting, we need to start preempting. We have to start asking ourselves what it means to be a nation and not just a collection of people. We have to work towards building systems that will help us move toward the progressive change we crave. We need to ask ourselves what is required to put Pakistan back onto the right path. Young people need to get involved. This is our country and we have to make it the place we know it can be.

While we cannot afford to dig our head into the sand, there is no need to be unnecessarily pessimistic. We are in an era of struggle, but we must not forget that it is the generations that pull nations out of such holes that are etched in the memory for eternity. It is a testing time to be a Pakistani, but also one that presents immense opportunity. Let us cross the hurdles we face, learn from our mistakes and reclaim this era. This is Pakistan’s time; there should be no looking back now.

A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Wednesday, September 28, 2011: http://tribune.com.pk/story/261705/much-adversity-but-our-time-is-now/.

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August 20, 2011

Looking for a leader

In 1853, sixty-four years after George Washington took oath as the first President of the United States, Franklin Pierce held that position. To this day, Pierce is considered a terribly weak and divisive president. Before Pierce, Millard Fillmore served a forgettable presidential term. By the time Pierce arrived, the United States was seemingly teetering on an edge, bracing itself for a gory civil war. The country was on the brink of disaster, tearing at the seams and cracking in the center. But the electoral process continued, the people voted for new presidents in search for a leader. Then, in 1860, a lawyer from humble beginnings began campaigning for president, using his antipathy for slavery as a cornerstone for the campaign. Abraham Lincoln took a bold step in his campaign, the people responded, elected him into office and he saved their country. He became the leader the people of the United States were looking for in the mid-nineteenth century. With the successive elections of Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, the electoral system failed the United States three times, but it helped keep the country intact the fourth time around.

The greatest tragedy of Pakistan is that we are a country and a people without a true leader. Our country has problems, but none that are unsolvable. A lack of leadership is the core problem. With able leadership, there is nothing we cannot confront. So let the democratic process continue, treating it like the self-correcting mechanism it is, and our leader will arrive.

Our leader will be strong-willed and will not be afraid to tell right from wrong. Honesty will be valued and a passion for change will be espoused. Compassion will be displayed. Inspiration will surround the country. Our leader will not be a Punjabi or a Pathan, not a Sindhi or a Balochi, but a Pakistani. Justice will be encouraged, not discouraged. Infrastructure will be built; systems will be put in place and merit will be valued. Pakistanis around the country will be put to work and investment will be facilitated. Pakistan will be pushed to its full potential. Our leader is not a figment of imagination; our leader will be a reality.

This op-ed is not about waiting for a messiah, for a savior. Before we complain about the dearth of leadership in Pakistan, we need to ensure we are doing whatever we can to bring this leader to the fore. We have to look inward, before we look outward. Through his work, Allama Iqbal focused on the philosophy of khudi. He emphasized self-discovery, self-realization and self-knowledge. Discover yourself. Realize your potential. Know that there are no boundaries to your growth. In Jawaab-e-Shikwa, Iqbal writes, Thay to aaba wo tumharay hi magar tum kiya ho/Hath par hath dharay muntazir-i farda ho. Stop waiting for tomorrow because, Dhoodnay walay ko dunya bhi nayi detay hain.

As a society, we have faults. As individuals, none of us is perfect. But, if each one of us strives to correct our faults and if we personally champion the qualities we want our leader to have, societal leadership is inevitable. Instead of waiting, act; become that leader. If the entire country espouses the values of the leader we claim to be searching for, there is no way that leader will not arrive. Don’t wait for the messiah, be the messiah.

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A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Saturday, August 20, 2011: http://tribune.com.pk/story/235146/looking-for-a-leader/.

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August 2, 2011

It will get better

As a Pakistani today, there is a lot to be unhappy about. Terrorism is widespread; our economy is in tatters. Governance is an elusive entity and the country is starving for leadership. But viewing these problems out of context is to misrepresent the situation. We are a young country with a nascent democracy. Sixty-four years into its existence, today’s hegemon, the United States, was bracing itself for the most brutal civil war this world has witnessed. The several conflicts we are currently confronting cloak the slow progress our country is making. We have made catastrophic errors over the course of our brief existence, but we have progressed too.

In times passed, the only news available on the television was the nine o’clock khabarnaama on Pakistan Television (PTV). The state-run PTV told Pakistanis what the government wanted them to hear. Today, the media has its eye on everything. This oversight has made corruption much harder to cover up. Moreover, other misdeeds by our elected officials no longer go unnoticed. The media is now an immensely powerful check on the functioning of our government; it is ingrained in the fabric of our society. Other countries in our neighborhood and even around the world do not have as independent a media as we do.

One measure of the progress of a nation’s economy is the relative ease with which business is done. There was a time when the process of getting a business loan from the bank had to involve a phone call from an elected politician. Now, banks are more professional. The computerization of ID cards and the State Bank’s Credit Information Bureau (CIB) have added to the development of local banking. To supplement that, we have three well-functioning stock exchanges and several powerful chambers of commerce. Venture away from the cities and you find farmers plying their trade with utmost ease. They are not concerned by a lack of security and live their lives in relative tranquility. In several instances, the prices their crops fetch are higher than international averages.

We have also made progress on the judicial front. A few years ago, the country was gripped with a lawyers’ movement that was internationally recognized and involved Pakistanis from all walks of life. We now have judges that are readily accepted as independent and fair. Currently there are bills in the parliament that focus on developing a witness protection program. Another bill hopes to improve the law of evidence in judicial proceedings. A much-needed system of prosecution is also being developed. Certainly, this is progress.

Security is an area where we have been severely troubled over the last decade. But, as an infamous cliché goes, the night is darkest before dawn. Following what our security agencies have dealt with in this decade, they will be hardened and more efficient in their dealing with future challenges. If handled appropriately, the United States’ scheduled pullout from Afghanistan should bring stability. With such stability, the lives of all Pakistanis will become significantly easier.

With 180 million people, we have an immense labor force. Pakistani laborers complete the majority of construction in the United Arab Emirates; these very laborers are the ones responsible for 11 billion dollars in foreign remittances. Our medical schools produce doctors that are in high demand all over the Middle East. The Higher Education Commission has utilized funds to help several of our universities improve the quality of their education. The civil service examination still attracts Pakistan’s brightest talent.

Undoubtedly, we are facing circumstances that would depress any public and force most populations to outright resignation; but Pakistan and its people are different. We are surviving, our lives are continuing. No matter how many times we are pushed against the wall, we turn around and fight back. Surely, that is an indication that greener pastures and better times are just around the corner.

The process has just begun, there is still a lot to improve; we are nowhere near the end of the path to progress. But we are a strong nation and we will continue walking. The journey may be long, we may lose a lot, but we will get there. It can get better. And it will.

A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Tuesday, August 2, 2011: http://tribune.com.pk/story/221984/things-will-get-better/.

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June 30, 2011

Strengthening our democracy

On June 23, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on America’s policies in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Halfway around the world, I was able to stream the hearing through C-SPAN’s website. C-SPAN is a cable network that has three channels that are solely dedicated to what is generally referred to as “public affairs programming.” Through C-SPAN, the American public (and anybody with access to the Internet) can watch live streams of proceedings in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Committee hearings that are not off-the-record are also broadcast live. C-SPAN is a non-profit organization and is funded through cable and satellite affiliates. As attested by its slogan, C-SPAN is “offered as a public service.” There is no ulterior motive involved nor is there an agenda to satisfy.

Pakistan needs a C-SPAN equivalent; such a network will bring massive benefits to our nascent democracy.

There is a constant concern that our members of parliament forget their districts the day after they are elected and remember them a few months before they are up for reelection. A C-SPAN equivalent will address that concern. If anybody with access to a television wishes to see their elected representatives, they can tune into a provincial assembly, the National Assembly, the Senate or a standing committee hearing. Through the television, constituents will be able to judge for themselves who is serving their interests. They will also be able to demand more. This will enhance accountability. If our representatives know they are being broadcast, they will be less inclined to shirk responsibility and will have greater incentive to perform and, in the process, to serve. Governance will improve.

Essentially, our elected representatives are public servants. A C-SPAN equivalent will heighten their ability to serve by strengthening the parliament. Imagine if all parliamentary proceedings were broadcast. Would that not increase the weight of parliamentary deliberations? With a media industry that is gaining traction all over the country – in rural communities and each corner of bustling urban centers – it certainly would. The parliament would become tougher to ignore, our elected representatives would be more accountable and simultaneously more powerful. A win-win situation by all accounts.

Pakistan is a democracy. The system is in place; we have a voice. We must now focus on amplifying that voice and reinforcing the connection between the origin and the propagation of that voice. We must understand the gravity and strength of our vote, of our rights as citizens of a democracy. This understanding will not take place overnight, but it will gradually manifest itself. Education is a large component of the process. But there is more to it. There is a bill tabled in the National Assembly that is based on India’s Right to Information Act that gives every citizen the right to request information from any “public authority.” Add to that a Pakistani equivalent to C-SPAN and our voice becomes that much stronger. Let us not complain, let us act in ways that strengthen our systems and push us further along on the road to progress.

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A version of this op-ed was published in the Express Tribune on Thursday, June 30, 2011: http://tribune.com.pk/story/198817/strengthening-our-democracy/.

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