Pakistaniat – A Feeling in the Diaspora?

When I hear the word ‘Pakistan’ on CNN, BBC, or even FOX news for that matter, there’s that sinking feeling of, “Oh no, what now?” Reflexively I expect another story of doom and gloom to unfold. I might rush to Pakistani newspapers and TV channels hoping that they might provide a somewhat objective viewpoint. Alas, they too, at times, tend to obfuscate reality and create an alternative one that is a better fit for conspiracy theorists.

  

It is time to move past political punditry and journalistic jingoism. Perhaps it is time for the Diaspora to talk and write about good things in Pakistan.

    

Before reaching this semi-conclusion, I felt I had arrived at a crossroads - I could either delve in apathy and antipathy for Pakistan, or write about a potential way out of my dilemma.

I choose to write since that is my comfort zone.

I will try to describe the problem first. What's happening in Pakistan is complex. ‘Corruption’, a common buzzword, is rampant. The life of an ordinary citizen, urban or rural, is cheap. Mob mentality is high - the frustrated citizens become judge and jury when they take to the streets. The list goes on, but you get the gist. However, I can either feel sorry for what's going on there or attempt to become a part of the process of change that is possible, individually as well as collectively, irrespective of the road being hard and tenuous with little chance of success. Perhaps I’m an idealist, but I happen to believe in people’s power.

Feeling somewhat restricted by distance and the immensity of the Pakistani predicament, I initially wondered what could I really do as an expatriate? One answer was that I had to distance myself from any mentality that would force me to turn my back on the country that gave me the principles to work forthrightly in the West. For that I had to stop mulling over the travesty that the country had become. In retrospect, overcoming the sense of helplessness about the country’s ailments was the first and hardest step; but with it came awareness, as well as the reserve and resilience to keep going. I then sought out credible organizations involved in social restructuring and institutional reform in Pakistan. I also had to refrain from simply ‘donating to a good cause’. If monetary donations alone could have salvaged the situation, then Pakistan would have been on top of that list given the huge amounts from ‘well wishers’ that have poured into ‘reform’ of all kinds (education and health, just to name a few).

I wanted to play an active role in whatever work that I was going to be involved in. Only by due diligence to selection of the organizations on the ground was I able to understand that there was quite a lot of good work ongoing. It had been my assumption that, in Pakistan, all was lost...

In tandem with the above work, I understood the need to detract from opulence and materialism. It was logical to do so once I figured that life might be other than the unending fête as I had made it out to be. I also had to look past misplaced nationalist and religious pride in being the paragon of virtue and piety, self-righteousness, and other such delusions, because in those self-serving situations I could never look past my own greed. Greed stemming from religion was greed all the same, no different from greed for money, fame, wisdom, or advancements in career. I changed my behavior by becoming less turned on by material, money, fame, (pseudo)religiosity, emotionalism, literalism, sensationalism, and ritualism - all within the framework of contemporary 21^st century living. And thus, I turned into a real citizen of the world; a world that is volatile and violent, yet still worth preserving.

In terms of an ‘action item’, I decided to focus on child literacy in Pakistan. I felt that my training and expertise in child health would help me develop, with ample help from like-minded young and old fellow citizens of the world, something interesting, exciting and sustainable for under-privileged youth in Pakistan. I embarked on a path that took me from just making token gestures of charity, to setting up fruitful long-term collaborations. An overarching realization of many people working on the child literacy effort alongside me was that one did not have to be a physician, academic, social worker, teacher, student, or even Pakistani in order to help out. Anyone who was interested in the greater good and betterment of a society could lend a hand in the effort. It was exciting given that we had a direction that was open to many possibilities.

So I propose the term ‘Pakistaniat’ as a feeling in the Diaspora, that encourages one to ‘do something’ sustainable for the country. Perhaps for the ‘right’ reasons. 

Love and light to y’all (the last bit since I am in cowboy country)...

….And peace; that has to be created - it just doesn’t descend from the heavens above.

[from the Karachi-Houston Diaries]

Acknowledgment: First published by South Asian and Pakistan Chronicles. October 2012. Photo courtesy: Riaz Khan.