Abstract:
After 50 years of nationhood, about 60 million Pakistani citizens still
live in absolute poverty which is a condition so debasing that it robs the
poor of the very potential of their genes. Illiteracy, malnutrition, high
maternal, child and infant mortality afflict more than 50% of Pakistan’s
population of 144 million. Due to mismanagement of its human and natural
resources Pakistan is in a vicious cycle of economic dependence (Figures 2 &
3) with high indebtedness, low growth rates of exports and GDP and a
decaying education system. During the last two decades Pakistan has
engaged in firefighting through external debt re-schedulings and increasing
its dependence on the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank,
International Monetary Fund) and their richer shareholders. As a result the
important development needs of the nation’s human capital have been
grossly neglected. It has failed to develop its human capital, particularly its
domestic scientific and engineering communities and thus is not ready to
meet the growth challenges of the 21st century. It is postulated that Pakistan
must, on a crash basis, develop a domestic scientific and technology (S&T)
community and create a scientific infrastructure if it seeks to become
economically and politically self-reliant. With about 100 scientists/engineers
for a million population, Pakistan’s current S&T capacity is woefully
inadequate to be able to capitalise on the wealth of opportunities that are
becoming available through globalisation. The S&T capacities of Pakistan’s
competitors in the world marketplace are significantly higher (300 per
million for India; 600 per million for China; 2,600 per million for Korea).
Pakistan needs both enhanced S&T capacity and the associated education
system if it is to increase the “science-cum-knowledge content” of its exports
and GDP. This is a sine qua non for achieving expanded economic well being for its citizens and providing the wherewithal for ensuring their
security from internal and external threats. Not doing so will leave Pakistan
at the bottom of the country league table in terms of poverty, security and
even liberty. This is a future that Pakistan should not have.
