A Road Yet to Be Travelled

I read an interesting and a thought provoking blog written by my dear friend Imran Baloch... Middle class needs dictatorship in Pakistan. The argument stems from a Geo TV anchor’s so-called pseudo-intellectualism on the subject of economics. The anchor attempts to deceive his audiences that they rather benefit more from an army dictatorship than a civilian government in Pakistan by juggling the numbers, mimicking CNN business analysts, in an assiduous way that showing to be an expert on the subject which he is not, by the way.

These kinds of presentation are very dubious and have grave implications on masses especially on the youth of Pakistan. First of all, neither his comparisons are scientifically accurate nor they are enlightening. Secondly, media is supposed to educate the masses with intellectual knowledge and only those people should be allowed to touch on a selective subject like economics, who are subject matter specialist. Not a crime reporter can elaborate on a complex and intricate subject like economics.

I have observed that everybody in Pakistan tries to be a philosopher and would argue you to the end trying to prove his/her point of view with evidences of trivial significance or sometimes rather with irrational mambo jumbo. Not only journalists do that but also educators, NGO members, bureaucrats, and even illiterates would hop in the wagon of any subject matter discussion. Why do Pakistanis have this tendency?? The reason is that they want to be expert on any subject without putting any labor in the process of becoming one. First of all, Pakistan is a nation of no readers. I have observed that teachers do not even do their homework prior to their lecture at school or colleges. To them, their education process ends when they receive the MA degrees and after that they become a permanent knowledge base for the rest of their lives.

In Pakistan, “people with bigger mouths” have become the selection criterion for TV journalists. So that they can cut others off or mouth off anyone at anytime they please. My concern is, When this country would change or get on the road to recovery to produce civil people with real intellect? Yet that seems to be the road less travelled.