This post is by Rich. Disclaimer: These thoughts and reflections are in the moment, not extensively researched, and are my own alone. I do not pretend to be an expert in Pakistan, and I apologize for what I will get wrong. I write this post on Saturday July 28 at 9pm local time - it's noon Saturday back home. I've been in Karachi for 14 hours - -
There's a Dunkin Donuts in downtown Karachi. Mohsin and I went there pretty directly from the airport on Saturday morning:
I was in Karachi back in 2000, and returning to the city 18 years later is interesting. What I have observed in the half-day I've been back in Karachi confirms what Mohsin has told me about the city's evolution this century. It's bigger - closer to 22 million people than 13 million. There has been a ton of development. In 2000 the tallest buildings I saw were 4-5 stories - now, 10-15 story buildings dot the landscape. Several major new roads speed transport around the city. Everywhere you look there is construction. Buildings are constructed mostly of steel frame and concrete, with very little wood and some glass, but not extensive. Residences, offices, stores, are increasing. The city feels much more westernized than it did in 2000. There are more western chain stores, and many more folks wearing western clothing vs. traditional Muslim clothing. Transport is a mix of private cars, buses, motor bikes, and walking. I've seen a few donkey-drawn wagons, but far fewer than in 2000.
Alan and Julia are here now, and we expect Brendan to arrive later tonight. We are staying at a guest house called Shehzad Cottage - a sort of bed-and-breakfast - the Clifton neighborhood of Karachi:
The accommodations are perfect for us. I will share a 2-bedroom room with Brendan. It's perhaps 15x15 feet, with air conditioning, a TV, wireless internet, and a large full bath with a giant shower. They have a kitchen and we will take some meals here, and the people are very nice. We are under instructions from Mohsin to remain in the guest house unless accompanied by him or someone else from his office, to ensure safety. We have been around the city a little bit, with him. Today we went to lunch at a bar-b-q place called "BBQ Tonight" where I broke my diet and enjoyed various grilled meats. We also visited a book shop, which featured an interesting mix of very Western books (Malcolm Gladwell, Jane Austin) with Pakistan and other South Asian books. There was pleasant music playing and it felt like any bookshop in the US or UK.
In between naps, I've spent some time this afternoon and evening reading up on Pakistan. The CIA World Factbook is very good: here is the link
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pk.html
The BBC is also a good source of Pakistani news, and the national newspaper, The Dawn at https://www.dawn.com
What I read confirms what I see. Pakistan is the 6th most populous country in the world, at just over 200 million. GDP is around $5,000 per person (vs. the US $40k-plus, Dominican Republic $10K, Haiti $1k), making it a mid-level country in the world in terms of economics. The country is rapidly urbanizing, with folks moving from rural areas to cities like Karachi. Agriculture continues to employ 40% of the population (vs. 3% in the US) but industries such as surgical tools and textiles are growing. There is a major difference in most quality of life measures between rural and urban areas - employment, access to electricity, internet, clean water, sanitation, and health care, are all much greater in urban areas. The official unemployment rate is 6% but is widely acknowledged to be under-reported, and under-employment is high. The literacy rate for the whole country is around 60%, split between 70% for males and 50% for females. Again, literacy is much higher in urban areas than in rural areas. It's a very young country: 50% of the population is under 25, and only 4% over 65. The CIA World Factbook observes that there is underdevelopment of human capital - not enough education and training programs to take advantage of the human potential that is here. The countries' biggest resource is people. It is a net exporter of labor - people move to US, Canada, UAE, East Africa, UK, and other places to work. There is also a significant human trafficking problem, both into and out of the country, with folks ending up in forced labor (brick making, for example), sex work, and other. Over 2 million Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan - those fleeing the war. While Pakistan is not a major producer of illegal drugs, heroin produced in Afghanistan is moved through the country.
Political stability has been a challenge since Pakistan was created as an independent country in 1947 (split off from India by the British as a Muslim-majority country). A transfer of power that is clean and democratic has been rare, although we may have just witnessed one three days ago when Imran Khan's party secured victory in the latest election. Pakistan is geographically strategically positioned, bordering India, Afghanistan, Iran, and China, and with sea ports. Lots of other countries and major international corporations are interested in Pakistan and have wanted to control it. Although it's not a major oil producer (big natural gas reserves, but not a net exporter; a net importer of oil), Pakistan's geographic location has meant than many want to build pipelines through the country.
Political leaders in the country have to balance many competing international pressures, as well as significant cultural pressures inside the country. In recent years, companies from China have made major investments in Pakistan, and the China-Pakistan Partnership constructed major roads through the country, and deep-water ports in Karachi, giving Chinese companies access to shipping. Now, companies in western China can ship good over Pakistani roads from east to west, to the ports in Karachi and other cities, then put them on ships for distribution in India, East Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. While the IMF invested $6 billion in Pakistani development in the last year, China invested an estimated $30 billion.
Culturally, amidst the Westernization, there are many groups who want Pakistan to remain true to its name as The Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Indeed, 96% of folks identify as Muslim, the call to prayer sounds out throughout the city five times a day, alcohol is illegal, arranged marriage is common, women generally do not travel unaccompanied by men, traditional dress for men and women is common, and many folks are serious about Islam. The name of the country is Pakistan. "Pak" means "pure," so "Pakistan" means "land of the pure." At the same time, you've got Burger King and Pizza Hut and Amy Schumer books in the bookstore. The Taliban and other extremist groups sometimes try to pressure the population and political leaders to restore a more pure version of law and cultural practice, and the Pakistani military and police work to ensure peace. It's a complex situation that I will not pretend to fully understand or be able to explain, but I'll do my best to listen and learn in the next days.
On Pakistani election day (July 25), Donald Trump sent out a Tweet complaining that the US has invested over $30 billion in Pakistan in the last 15 years with no significant return. This assertion has raised the ire of many folks in Pakistan. For one, the US has promised to send that $30 billion, but has not completely done so. Folks in Pakistan estimate that the US War on Terror has cost Pakistan over $70 billion since 2002, as well as thousands of lives. It has also created the massive refugee issue. Again, these are complicated issues I do not pretend to fully understand, but it's definitely an interesting time to be here.
Among the few folks I have talked to, there is significant optimism in the election of Imran Khan as the new political leader of the country. He has pledged to end decades of corruption, and some believe he is the one to get that done.
Tomorrow, Sunday, we will meet Mohsin at 10:30am and go out to lunch, then head to The School of Writing Office for a planning session. Mohsin's family is hosting us for dinner at his place on Sunday evening. The work begins in earnest on Monday morning, with 25 young people and 10 teachers. I am scheduled to lead a writing workshop at 10am Monday, and I can't wait!
Thanks for reading,
Rich
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