The Pakistani Spectator

Whilst nations such as Singapore and South Korea that gained independence at roughly the same time as Pakistan did, made great strides and developed into prosperous and developed nations, Pakistan has become a haven for corruption and terrorism.

Due to the lack of foresight and planning, Pakistan has been unable to educate its masses or provide them the necessary amenities fundamental for a decent life. We allocate just 2.6 percent of our GDP on education. There are about 50 million children that are not in schools right now. These children are the future of Pakistan and right now the future seems to be pretty bleak. 40 million people in Pakistan live below the poverty line and 30 million of them reside in rural areas. According to the Human Development Index (HDI), 73.6% of Pakistan’s population, or 122 million people, live under $2 a day, and some 17% live under $1 a day. Women in Pakistan suffer from poverty of opportunities throughout their lives. Female literacy in Pakistan is 43.6% compared to Male literacy at 68.2%, as of 2008.

There is no unemployment compensation in Pakistan which places the unemployed man and breadwinner in a difficult predicament. If the bread winner loses his job, then the family will have to work as well in order for survival. Because incomes are low and expenses are high, the poor man often cannot afford to send his children to schools. Therefore a lot of children dropout of school at a very young age and instead they have to work in order to support the family. Education is the only way that can help people born in poverty to crawl out and make a better living. A lot of children born in poverty often suffer because of malnutrition. Researchers have indicated malnutrition, stress, illiteracy, and toxic environments in the lives of low income children. It has been verified through research that the neural systems of poor children develop differently from those of middle class children which affects language development and the ability to plan, remember details and pay attention in school.

In Pakistan, getting educated is one hurdle and the second one is perhaps getting a decent job. Another obstacle to employment is perhaps the matter of ‘age discrimination’ that needs to be removed. It is a shame when employers in Pakistan close their doors to professionals beyond the age of twenty eight. Outside Pakistan, the doors of employment are always open as long as you are qualified for the job. Age is not a matter. There is also unemployment compensation for those who are out of a job. Over here there is nothing.

There doesn’t seem to be any form of law or justice in this country. Take educators for instance. We have so many flyby schools, colleges and institutions in this country whose degrees and certifications are worthless when you hit the job market. In name of educating children, these educational institutions are businesses that effectively ruin and destroy the future prospects of unsuspecting students. It also means that the hard earned money that parents invest into the education of their children is wasted.

It is a crying shame that there isn’t a single Pakistani educational institution that falls within the top 500 Universities in the world. Isn’t it time that we focused on that aspect as well taking into consideration that not everyone can afford a foreign education.

However we need sustained economic development and good governance for the alleviation of poverty in the country. There has to be an increased focus on resolving the power crisis within the nation. Taxing fuel and its substitutes will have a negative impact upon our local industries and businesses. If businesses die out because of increased overhead costs and non-competitiveness in the global arena, more people will be added to the list of people who are unemployed. The pain and misery that they will face as a result of it cannot be put down in words.

The rise in fuel prices has a direct impact also upon the cost of fertilizer production. It will mean that the price of essential food items will rise that will cause food inflation to rise. Rises in electricity and gas tariffs as well will further aggravate and worsen the lives of Pakistani citizens.

While the common man suffers, our politicians, bureaucrats and army officials battle it out for more and more of money and power. Why should the politicians roam around in fancy bullet proof cars with a budget of a Crore rupees allocated every month for each one of them? What have they done for the welfare of the nation that they should enjoy such pomp? They get away with looting the national exchequer whereas the common thief gets to be caught and punished. They contribute nothing towards taxes whereas the common man bears the entire burden.

It is as if we are all stuck in a bad nightmare. One only hopes that the coming years bring prosperity and peace to our shores.