As the Covid-19 Pandemic spreads fear in general public and administration, let us visit some past developments by Pakistan. Pakistan has came forward a long way and not all of it is going down the drain. According to United Nations Development Pakistan (UNDP), Human Development Index (HDI) of Pakistan as measured from 1990 to 2017, showed substantial improvement. The percentage increase of 39% proves that instead of going down the drain, Pakistan is moving towards an upward spiral for growth and development.
Another example is of a recently published statistical report by the US department of Homeland Security, which states that after 2010, terrorist attacks in Pakistan decreased by 27% and overall deaths due to terrorist attacks decreased up to 12%. It proves improved intelligence of Pakistan as well as the success of wide-scale operations carried out to curb terrorism, for example, Operation Zarb-e-Azb.
Since its establishment in 1947, Pakistan continued to register progress and show the world its competitive edge. From introduction and implementation of Family laws Ordinance (1961) in Ayub Khan’s regime to Rescue 1122 operation launched by Pervez Musharraf to the strengthening of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) under current PM ‘Imran Khan’, Pakistan continue to create new avenues for development.
Although unfavourable incidents continue to happen, which trigger international media to show Pakistan as a ‘hopeless state’, I am hereby going to argue on the basis of five key aspects, which should not be overlooked and will give you a pictorial image of Pakistan as a ‘hopeful state’. They are, Education, Human Rights, Eradication of terrorism, Law and Order and Environmental Protection.
The landmark step in the Education sector was the recent step by National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) to register Madrassas in Formal Education Sector, with syllabus provided and board exams, conducted. This step highly relates to not just registration of several religious schools but also to keep in check of extremism and to focus on improving quality education. Another important step was the establishment of Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA), which focuses on technical training for skilled employment, for example, beautician or Mechanic. Along with this, TEVTA registered with leading organizations like ‘Microsoft’ to provide quality training and improve skills. The most noteworthy step was the provision of free education for transgender in Pakistan by the opening of school name “The Gender Guardian” in metropolitan city ‘Lahore’.
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country”, said 32nd US President Franklin Roosevelt.
It is these very people of conservative south Asian country titled ‘Pakistan’ who stood for, supported and celebrated when parliament passed a landmark law giving the transgender right to identify themselves through National Identification Card, provided equal rights and employment opportunities. Our government has also given minorities their due rights not just as citizens but also as elected politicians, from Kamran Micheal’s appointment as Minister of Statistics to the inclusion of Hercharn Singh in Pakistan Army to Krishna Kohli duly elected by Senate of Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan also tightened its nook towards the security of women in this country; a recent example was the intervention of the police to arrest a minor’s father, attempting to marry her daughter away against Child Marriages Restraint Act (amendment), 2015.
The step on the ladder with the loudest thump was the increase of female literacy 39.6% to 61.5%, an increase of 45% as mentioned by The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) recently published report. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UNICEF along with local public and private organizations are taking measures to improve female literacy in Pakistan. The above-mentioned are the human rights steps that should be applauded for, but unfortunately, we tend to focus all our energy on what this country was not able to accomplish. Maybe, now is the time to see a glass half full as we pour more into it.
In his book, titled ‘Line of Fire’, Pervez Musharraf writes about the loss and suffrage of Pakistan as it continues to fight against extremism. Despite 2008’s global recession and incident of 9/11 that made Pakistan apparently weak on its knees; Pakistan army conducted several operations against terrorism, showing absolute resilience and proving to the world and its own nation that we support peace in all its forms. In Operation Zarb-e-Azb more than thirteen thousand Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) was carried out in which more than one hundred and fifty terrorists were killed and more than two thousand arrested. Pakistan also banned various extremist political parties, for example, Jaish-e-Islam, Islam Mujahidin and Balochistan National Liberation Army to name just a few. By conducting these military operations all over Pakistan and banning political parties with extremism as their motto, Pakistan is restoring law and order situation.
International media depict Pakistan as a bleak state, but it is not. The arrest of first sitting PM Nawaz Sharif in Panama Paper case is a very strong example of the stability of law and order in Pakistan. Nationwide changes to enforce the law on citizens are many but just to name a few:
Pakistan is criticize for not paying enough attention to environmental degradation, this might be partially true but there are various local, provincial, national, international and even individual led projects that are often overlooked, for example, Shahzad Qureshi, a young entrepreneur in Karachi heading project of urban forestation. Another example is of Billion-tree tsunami project by PM Imran Khan, which up to date have resorted 350,000 hectares of forests. South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) is a public sector company, which focus on environmental degradation in Southern Punjab.
International organizations, for example, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) distributed cooking stoves filled with agro-waste amongst rural women of Kasur for to enhance the usage of renewable energy and to combat poverty at the same time. Most important news of environment, conservation was the involvement of Pakistan Navy for mangrove conservation under the project titled “Mangroves for the Future (MFF)” by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Pakistan is a land of vast opportunities. It’s an amalgamation of rich culture, heritage, resilience and compassion is living proof that despite vast natural disasters (Earthquake 2010), terrorist attacks and two deadly wars fought in less than a hundred years of history, Pakistan moves on. It does not stop and it never will.
by: Noor Al Ain
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