Pakistan is making the headlines in the international media, for all the wrong reasons. My own personal experience, working in interior Sindh for the last 4 months, has been completely different, and taught me a lot of things. My previous interactions in Pakistan over the years had been restricted to people belonging to the upper-class, middle-upper class of society. Now, my interactions are strictly confined to the middle class of Pakistan, & the lower-middle class as well. I never thought I could be comfortable living amongst them, but I am.
I have a lot of faith about the resurgent middle, lower-middle class of Pakistan. Everyone in Pakistan is occupied in one thing or the other, always doing something, always trying to make their socioeconomic conditions better, whether that is the rickshaw wala, thella wala, shopkeeper etc. I read a report on how poverty levels of Pakistan had decreased by 5% since 2008, & it did not surprise me too much. The 2010 Global Wellbeing survey of 124 nations conducted by Gallup also showed that Pakistanis ranked ahead of their neighbors. The reason why Pakistanis have been ranked ahead of their neighbors in the wellbeing Gallup survey can be found in the strength of Pakistan's rural economy.
It is being spurred by the higher food and commodity prices resulting in the transfer of additional new tax-free farm income of about Rs. 300 billion in the current fiscal year alone to Pakistan's ruling party's power base of landowners in small towns and villages in Southern Punjab and Rural Sindh, from those working in the relatively economically stagnant urban industrial and service sectors who pay bulk of the taxes. Of course, there is a big downside: there is a bigger hole in Pakistan's public finances which is being funded with increased foreign aid and loans.
I have interacted with the resurgent middle, lower-middle class of Pakistani society, & it has cleared some of the misconceptions I held, that things are not as bad as I thought they were. I have also realized that for the most part, people are friendly to others, regardless of what their ethnic background is, or what their religious beliefs are. When I hanging out (as a non-Sindhi speaker) with a group of Sindhi friends, they all talk to each other in Urdu, so I can understand what they are saying, & I do not feel left out or out of place.
The potential to make a difference in Pakistan is huge, if you are willing to work hard, think positive & have good connections/networking skills. These are exciting times to be in Pakistan, it might well be the world's most happening place right now (for good & bad), but there is such raw energy here, it makes one feel alive. After all, where else in the world can you find rickshaws, chinqchis, camels, donkeys, convertible cars, motorcycles, bicycles on the same road but Pakistan?
I have a lot of faith about the resurgent middle, lower-middle class of Pakistan. Everyone in Pakistan is occupied in one thing or the other, always doing something, always trying to make their socioeconomic conditions better, whether that is the rickshaw wala, thella wala, shopkeeper etc. I read a report on how poverty levels of Pakistan had decreased by 5% since 2008, & it did not surprise me too much. The 2010 Global Wellbeing survey of 124 nations conducted by Gallup also showed that Pakistanis ranked ahead of their neighbors. The reason why Pakistanis have been ranked ahead of their neighbors in the wellbeing Gallup survey can be found in the strength of Pakistan's rural economy.
It is being spurred by the higher food and commodity prices resulting in the transfer of additional new tax-free farm income of about Rs. 300 billion in the current fiscal year alone to Pakistan's ruling party's power base of landowners in small towns and villages in Southern Punjab and Rural Sindh, from those working in the relatively economically stagnant urban industrial and service sectors who pay bulk of the taxes. Of course, there is a big downside: there is a bigger hole in Pakistan's public finances which is being funded with increased foreign aid and loans.
I have interacted with the resurgent middle, lower-middle class of Pakistani society, & it has cleared some of the misconceptions I held, that things are not as bad as I thought they were. I have also realized that for the most part, people are friendly to others, regardless of what their ethnic background is, or what their religious beliefs are. When I hanging out (as a non-Sindhi speaker) with a group of Sindhi friends, they all talk to each other in Urdu, so I can understand what they are saying, & I do not feel left out or out of place.
The potential to make a difference in Pakistan is huge, if you are willing to work hard, think positive & have good connections/networking skills. These are exciting times to be in Pakistan, it might well be the world's most happening place right now (for good & bad), but there is such raw energy here, it makes one feel alive. After all, where else in the world can you find rickshaws, chinqchis, camels, donkeys, convertible cars, motorcycles, bicycles on the same road but Pakistan?
