Page 8 - Pakistan Link - October 20, 2023
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P8 - PAKISTAN  LINK - OCTOBER 20, 2023                                                                                                       OPINION
               n By Riaz Haq          US Census Update: Pakistani-Americans' Average
                 California
            he  average  annual  household  Annual Household Earnings Estimated at $150,000

            earnings  of  Pakistani-Amer-
       Ticans  are  $149,178,  accord-
       ing to the latest update issued by the
                  United  States  Census
                  Bureau for 2022. The
                  update  estimates  the
                  median  income  of
                  132,958   Pakistani-
                  American households
                  at $106,281.
         Average is calculated by adding up                                                                                   India  and  Pakistan  among  top  10
       all  incomes  and  dividing  it  by  total                                                                             countries receiving US Immigrant vi-
       number  of  households.  Median  in-                                                                                   sas - Visual Capitalist
       come level divides the top 50% of fami-
       lies  from  the  bottom  50%.    It  shows                                                                             nation  the  second  largest  source  of
       that  Pakistani-American  household  As of 2019, there were 35,000 Paki- South Asian Americans Households - US Census Update 2022  medical doctors in America.  Pakistan
       incomes  are  roughly  at  par  with  the  stan-born STEM workers in the Unit-                                         produced 157,102 STEM graduates last
       Asian-American  households'  median  ed States, according to the American   Immigration  Council.  They  included  increased  by  44.5  percent,  from  7.5  year, putting it among the world's top
       of $104,646 and average of $149,363.   Immigration Council. They included   information  technologists,  software  million to more than 10.8 million, ac- dozen  or  so  countries.  About  43,000
         The highest income ethnic group in  information  technologists,  software              cording to the American Immigration  of these graduates are in information
       the US is of Asian Indian households  developers,  engineers  and  scientists.           Council.                      technology (IT).
       with a median of $152,341 and average  These figures do not include medical                 India  topped  the  top  10  list  of     Every  year,  applicants  sponsored
       of  $197,732.    Asians  are  significantly  doctors and healthcare workers – Il-        foreign-born  STEM  workers  with  by Indian body shops claim the lion's
       richer  than  Whites  (mean  $78,636,  lustration Dawn.Com                               721,000, followed by China (273,000),  share  of  H1B  visas.  In  2022,  Indians
       average $112,415) and African Ameri-                                                     Mexico (119,000), Vietnam (100,000),  received  166,384  new  H1B  visas,  ac-
       cans (mean $52,238, average $76,888).  Technology, Engineering and Technol-              Philippines  (87,000),  South  Korea  counting  for  nearly  three  quarters  of
       The  word  "alone"  in  the  labels  in  the  ogy)  fields  where  incomes  are  gener-  (64,000),  Canada  (56,000),  Taiwan  all such visas issued by the US govern-
       following  table  excludes  mixed  race  ally much higher than in other occu-            (53,000), Russia (45,000) and Pakistan  ment. The figures reported as India IT
                                                                                                (35,000).  Enormous number of Indian
                                                                                                STEM workers in the United States can
                                                                                                at least partly be attributed to the fact
                                                                                                that  India's  "body  shops"  have  mas-
                                                                                                tered the art of gaming the US tempo-
                                                                                                rary work visa system. Last year, Indian
                                                                   Doctor brain drain - Statista  nationals  sponsored  by  "body  shops"
                                                                                                like  Cognizant,  Infosys  and  TCS  re-
                                                                   developers,  engineers  and  scientists.  ceived 166,384 H1B visas for work in
                                                                   These  figures  do  not  include  medical  the United States. By comparison, only
                                                                   doctors and healthcare workers.   1,107 Pakistanis were granted H1B vi-
                                                                       Foreign-born  workers  make  up  sas in Fiscal Year 2022.  In addition to
                                                                   a  growing  share  of  America's  STEM  H1B work visas, 9,300 Indian nationals  H1B Visas issued in Pakistan - Visa-
                                                                   workforce.  As  of  2019,  foreign-born  and 7,200 Pakistani nationals received  grader.Com
                                                                   workers made up almost a quarter of  immigrant visas to settle in the United
       Foreign-born STEM workers in America - American Immigration Council  all STEM workers in the country. This  States as permanent residents in 2021.   exports are in fact the wages earned by
                                                                   is  a  significant  increase  from  2000,     In  addition  to  35,000  Pakistan- millions of Indian H1B workers in the
       households.                   pations.                      when just 16.4% of the country’s STEM  born STEM workers, there were 12,454  United States.
         Asians, including Chinese/Taiwan-  As of 2019, there were 35,000 Paki- workforce  was  foreign-born.  Between  Pakistan-born  and  Pakistan-trained   (Riaz Haq is a Silicon Valley-based
       ese,  Indians  and  Pakistanis,  tend  to  stan-born STEM workers in the Unit- 2000 and 2019, the overall number of  medical  doctors  practicing  in  the  Pakistani-American   analyst   and
       be  concentrated  in  STEM  (Science,  ed  States,  according  to  the  American  STEM  workers  in  the  United  States  United States, making the South Asian  writer. He blogs at www.riazhaq.com)


                n By Zubeida Mustafa         Haziq-ul-Khairi                     death earlier this month went practically unno- Sahib for a session, he readily agreed to come and
                  Karachi, Pakistan                                              ticed. He had his own law practice, became prin- speak to the children as an author. Here he nar-
                                                                                 cipal of S.M. Law College, a judge of the Sindh  rated the story about the crows. It was interesting
              ore than 91 years ago a child was born                             High Court, Sindh’s ombudsman, member of the  and ended with an account of how the crows got
              to an enlightened and highly literary                              Council of Islamic Ideology and the chief justice  together to save one of their mates who was in
       Mfamily. He himself grew up to make a                                     of the Federal Shariat Court. Above all, he was a  trouble. He had much to say about the unsightly
       worthy contribution to society as a public intel-                         good man who didn’t politicize his role as a judge  crows and their quality of flocking together in self-
       lectual. Apart from his inherited love for Urdu                           for cheap popularity.                 defense. Children learnt that looks do not matter.
       literature, he also loved the profession he had                              I saw Khairi Sahib from close quarters in his  It is one’s character that makes a difference.
       chosen to enter, namely, law.                                             role as speaker of the Hamdard Shura (Karachi).   Another story in his book he sent me was the
         Justice  Haziq-ul-Khairi,  as  he  came  to  be                         Hakim  Saeed  had  personally  appointed  him  to  dilemma of identity that a man faced when an-
       known  —  but  Khairi  Sahib  to  me  and  many                           this position in 1994. A meeting of the shura is  other person’s brain was transplanted in his head.
       others — was not one of those members of the                              held once a month in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad  Obviously,  SIUT’s  work  in  transplantation  had
       judiciary who come and go without making an                               and Peshawar. He conducted the meetings with  given him ideas.
       impact. He was a man of principles, reminding us                          dignity and grace. He demonstrated on these oc-  Khairi Sahib would quote his father when ex-
       that a judge should not be heard in public if he is                       casions the immense respect for women that was  pressing his concern for the future of the country:
       to be seen as impartial.                                                  his inheritance by virtue of his being the grand- “We did not make Pakistan for ourselves but for
         I  learnt  more  about  him  when  I  attended  a                       son  of  Allama  Rashid-ul-Khairi,  the  social  re- the future generations so that they could live in
       hearing  of  the  Federal  Shariat  Court  when  he                       former who founded three magazines for women  peace, dignity and solidarity.” (This is quoted in
       was its chief justice in 2009. A petition had been                        — Ismat still survives.               his memoirs Jagtay Lamhay)
       filed challenging the Transplantation of Human  For him education and language, especially Urdu,   For  him  education  and  language,  especially   These  are  the  values  he  stood  for.  An  avid
       Organs  and  Tissues  Ordinance,  2007,  as  being  were of great importance - Wikimedia Commons  Urdu,  were  of  great  importance.  Frequently,  he  reader  of  books,  American,  European,  Russian,
       un-Islamic.  Some  unscrupulous  surgeons  were                           invited me to be the guest speaker at these ses- and of course, our own, Khairi Sahib appreciated
       unabashedly operating an ‘organ bazaar’ and pur- one that would open the doors to ‘ijtihad’ (logical  sions  and  he  proved  to  be  a  staunch  supporter  good literature and would say: “Good literature
       chasing  organs  from  impoverished  villagers  to  interpretation of an Islamic law by consensus).  of my point of view when the argument became  imbues  people  with  high  values  while  protect-
       graft them at a fabulous price in the rich, many   Later on, it was my privilege to meet justice  heated.       ing them from rigid attitudes that drive society
       of  whom  came  from  abroad.  After  hearing  the  Khairi and even get to know him enough to en-  His interest in the youth was remarkable. He  towards  discord  …  good  literature  drives  away
       parties and consulting Islamic law experts, Justice  joy his company. Behind the grim exterior, was  wrote stories and plays for children which were  bigotry and prejudice so that people can breathe
       Khairi decided that under the law, a person is not  a man with a kindly heart and a sense of humor  gripping.  What  was  unique  about  him  was  his  in an environment of freedom.”
       asked to save another person’s life by endangering  that made him a lively conversationalist. So unas- skill  in  internalizing  his  diverse  experiences  to   Now  I  know  that  my  phone  will  never  ring
       his own. Therefore, any sale or purchase of any- suming was he in his demeanor that many failed  interweave them and produce fascinating stories.  with a solemn voice saying at the other end: “Aaj
       body’s organ would amount to violating this dic- to recognize his greatness.   Once when Baela Jamil, founder of the Children’s  mein nay aap ka mazmoon parha aur … (Today I
       tum. The judgement was widely hailed as a great   In  today’s  age  of  publicity,  it  is  sad  that  his  Literature Festival, requested me to invite Khairi  read your column, and …) RIP Khairi Sahib.
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