Pakistan Can Do It
By M. Asghar Aboobaker
San Jose , CA
Like many, I visit my home country frequently, mostly to see my family. In the last few years, I have come back with a list of good, bad and amazing things I notice there. I share my observations with my Pakistani and non-Pakistani friends.
Last week, I was sitting down with a few friends after a short Pakistan trip. One of the respected elders asked me as to how Pakistan was. I gave him my impressions of amazing things in Pakistan. He said that I made his day as he only hears negative and depressing news about/from Pakistan. He suggested that I write a piece on what I told him, so here it is.
Let’s get the “bad” events out of the way as there is no dearth of them. A day before I arrived in Karachi on my last trip, there were two bomb blasts on Chelum day. The first was very close to my brother’s house. I saw the shrapnel-ridden bus, the target of the first bomb, with dried blood on the side of the torn and mutilated windows and seats. I asked one of my nieces about her feelings about such incidents. She said it was kind of normal and people take it in stride, but tears come out of her eyes every time after watching and hearing about the two incidents.
Everybody talks about Zardari’s government and the tussle between it and the judiciary. The only good part I see is that, due to the free and vocal media, all irregularities are questioned and debated. The public now seems to be much more aware of different points of view. Also, inflation, especially in food prices, is hurting the middle to lower echelons of Pakistani society.
And what are the good things about/in Pakistan? Meeting my brother, sister-in-laws, nephews and nieces (and I have many of them, mashallah) is great. You get real affection, love and hospitality from them. You also hear about their successes, frustrations and heartaches.
The next on the list of good things about Pakistan has to be the food. All kinds of high end dishes to choley walas, chat masala. The best restaurants like Shan-e-Mughlai, Lal Qilla pamper you for hours with scores of dishes. Even a double dose of my medications does not dissolve the cholesterol and sugar in the blood for days. In the right season, you can get falsas, jamun, amrod and dozens of varieties of fruits with real flavor and taste. And if you are there in late June to August, you have the choicest of mangoes for a feast. There is nothing comparable to Sindhri, Anwar Ratol, Langra and Chaunsa and you crave for them for days even after you are back in the USA.
Now let’s talk about amazing developments. While the US has been talking about independence from foreign oil for decades, Pakistanis have been implementing it for years. 90% of the cars and other transportation are on CNG with the bi-fuel system. It started with the expertise of local mistris getting Italian conversion kits and putting them in cars for 25,000 rupees. There used to be a switch which would switch on the engine from regular gas to CNG. People drive on CNG all the time in the city. In emergency or for long drives, they switch over to gasoline. The fuel is about 40% cheaper than gasoline per mile and the emissions are much cleaner. Earlier, you could not see more than a few hundred feet ahead of you on the Bunder Road as the smog was trapped by big buildings on the sides. Now, the same road is clear enough to see for miles on most of the days. This is amazing because there was no government subsidy or incentive for this wholesome change. It was prompted by the pressing need and ingenuity of the locals. Now Honda and Toyota sell factory-installed CNG cars which automatically change to gasoline when the CNG is low.
I was in Quetta in 2008 and we had to go about 40 miles west of the city to examine hand pumps in villages my wife had commissioned. We were five people with three cell phones on two different networks. In that remote area full of mud houses, amazingly, one of the network signals was still available and a call could be made. Tell this to AT&T whose signal disappears if you are little up on a hillside of Fremont in SF bay area or near the 680 and 80 junction.
We always talk about the corrupt Pakistani government which cannot do anything right. I was in Karachi in late 2003 when I needed to get new ID cards. The government had just started NADRA (National Database & Registration Authority). We went to the Gulshan Office and within a few minutes we were given a number and the estimated time of our appointment. The people in the queue appeared disciplined and well-organized while everybody outside and the guards at the entrance behaved nicely. There was a separate line for ladies and they got preferential treatment.
Our given time was about 2 hours later, so we went to take care of a few errands and came back to the office just before the time they had given us. Our number was flashed on a LED board and we went into a modest office with 7 or eight computer stations. You get your pictures taken on the first station. You move to the next station and the person would enter your data in the computer. The next station would take your digital fingerprint. Then they give you the completed form for you to review. After you are satisfied, you sign on a digital pad. The next station gives you a receipt and asks you how you would like to get your ID card mailed (regular about 30 days, or by FedEx about a week for a fee). We chose FedEx, and the cards came to our address in precisely 7 days. The whole process took no more than 15 minutes. No bribe, no hassle, no frustration, no dhakkamukki in the line, just as you would expect in US. Recently I went to get my ID card renewed. The office was open until 8 PM and the process was similar but faster as I did not have to wait long for there were just three people in front of me. I understand that getting a passport is done with the same degree of ease.
I arrived in Karachi early February 2010 on my last trip. My brother’s house is close to Nursery. Amazingly, it took only 20 minutes or less as there are only 2-3 lights from the airport to Nursery. It used to take about 40 minutes or more previously. There 2-3 overpasses and interchanges took most of the congested traffic lights out of the road. The whole Sharah-e-Faisal (and many other thoroughfares) is lined with new trees (now grown to 10 feet or so) and the median is planted with flowers and smaller shrubs. A few times during my six-day visit, I saw regular watering of all plants by a truck which reminded me of Karachi in the 50’s when the main roads used to be washed weekly.
During my last stay, I noticed that more overpasses and flyovers had been built all over the city as compared to August 2008. It used to take about 25-30 minutes to drive from Quaid’s Mazar to Empress Market in view of the congestion of buses and numerous traffic lights. Now there is sort of a highway built through old Jutt Lane and Jacob Lane with no traffic lights and you can get to Empress Market in just five minutes. I was told that this stretch of about one-and-a-half mile was built in two months! Now an overpass is being built at the cross-section of Sharah-e-Faisal and Jinnah Hospital Road, one of the most congested intersections. When it is completed, there will be only three lights from the airport to the Metropol Hotel, a stretch of about seven miles. There is a highway from Korangi to KPT with no lights. The truck and other traffic from the Korangi industrial area to Karachi port, which used to go through the main city roads, has been cut down immensely. The Nazim (Mayor) of Karachi, Mustafa Kamal of MQM (and I am no fan of MQM, but praise should be given where it’s due), has been supervising these projects for the last few years. He is the youngest Nazim of Karachi (born in 1971) and has the largest following of any Pakistani personality on his Facebook page (see details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Kamal_%28mayor%29). He has been reported to show up at projects unannounced to see the progress. He has also been reported to call project managers at two in the morning to inquire about the development aspects of the project. All of these projects were authorized and funded during the Musharraf era). According to my reading, 25% of the transportation projects are completed and the other 75% are in planning and execution stage. The city government has started work on three multistoried parking plazas, two in Saddar Town and one in the Clifton area. They would be unique and one-of-a-kind projects in Pakistan. There is even talk of a light rail system in Karachi. These projects are economic engines for the locals. Recently, when there was a shut down in Karachi for two days, all these projects came to a standstill due to lack of transportation. There were thousands of laborers in Karachi and in interior Sindh who lost their livelihood for days.
Let’s get to a more posh area of Karachi - Defense Society. I just want to show that how well things are done in Pakistan if we want to. This of course is a military project where the plots are allotted to military personnel for their services which they sell to the general public at a huge profit. But once it is in public hands, all the strict rules of DHA are still enforced. There are rules about construction, number of stories, heights, zoning, allowed square footage, minimum open area around and in between houses. In main Karachi you can get anything approved regardless of the rules by paying some bakhshis. But not in Defense. The phases are well-controlled and released by DHA as they develop the land. When you are in this area, you are in a different city. Nice houses, wide and clean roads and tons of amenities. A very posh golf course and private clubs are part of this area. Again Mustafa Kamal convinced a large Dubai firm, Emmar, to develop part of the Creek City project. If you look at the site plan and architectural renderings of the Creek City project (http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7277/post24811188852474at.jpg ), you will be amazed. Unfortunately the Emmar part of the project is in default due to Dubai’s current financial problems. Investors (speculators) should take a note of this as one can acquire this project for pennies on the dollar and make tons of money by developing it.
These are not isolated examples. These are mega projects spanning many years. Lahore has been rebuilt and cleaned up similarly during Shahbaz Saharif’s rule and subsequent governments. The Lahore airport is a work of art drawing inspiration from Mughlai architecture. I request people who are more familiar with other parts of the country to write about such development
I am not a naïve person. In fact I am more cynical, critical and perfectionist than many. I have been in the US for close to 40 years. I have seen successes and glamour of the US and follies and fables within this country, politically and morally. I am sure that the projects I mentioned had their share of corruption, maybe 50% or more of the cost. Just for comparison, only 30%-35% of US Federal taxes go to public service projects, including social security. But when I see what is happening in Karachi and I am sure in many other cities, I must conclude that Pakistan has the talent and desire to do right things in a better way than what we are accustomed to or have been influenced to believe by media and other forces.
I sincerely hope that when we visit Pakistan the next time, we remove our brown-colored US-made glasses and see at least parts of the country and systems which are working well and, in some cases, better than here. I am more than 100% sure that if we can take care of the security issues and remove outside influences (which not only is a big “if” but maybe totally impossible), our homeland can be as good as any other progressive country of that area.
