Pakistan, Motivation to Succeed, and US Intervention

There is no doubt that the US has been earning itself a poor international reputation…and this most recent decade of bad PR has definitely helped to negate just about everything ‘good’ the US has sponsored throughout the world. For example, USAID is one of the main reasons behind the success of two of Pakistan’s most elite business schools, including the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). It is also the source of funding for efforts to improve maternal health and water quality - just two of the terrible ailments that keep the bulk of Pakistanis at the very bottom of the pyramid.

While it is important to cooperate with foreign governments that wish to help Pakistan, moderation is also critical - to ensure that the country’s long term interests stand to be served. Nevertheless, that is a different conversation, I think it’s important to realize that Pakistan’s current socio-political problems are no longer mere results of foreign intervention - it’s the somber state of the people, the citizens of Pakistan, that continues to hold the nation back.

Sixty years of overwhelmingly elitist rule, an constantly increasing poverty percentage (currently at least 25%), and shameful 50% adult literacy rate are all reasons for the inferiority complex held by the majority - who are, in turn, the politically under-represented minority. All these factors breed the fatalism that inhibits Pakistanis from taking the future into their own hands. In this heartfelt blog post the author states that “we [Pakistan] are the only nation that believes in refurbished leaders.” This is how unqualified and out-of-touch officials are elected.

We don’t need to endure several more decades of this to achieve success, nor do we need a violent revolution, and God knows we don’t want another ridiculous coup. So what’s the solution…the nation’s success is in the hands of the masses - the people who experience the hardships of a failing nation on a day to day basis. Pakistanis are a resilient bunch. The nation needs well-intentioned individuals to serve as catalysts for change, whether it’s for democracy, education reform, or simply lowering the infant mortality rate (67 out of 1000 infants die).

• Download USAID’S Strategic Interim Plan for Pakistan)
• Poverty in Pakistan Wikipedia Article