One week in Pakistan

August 17th, 2009
Leave your comment Posted by umar
Published in textblog


So I returned from Pakistan after spending a week there, completing all the business objectives, meeting with my parents, and reminding myself why I decided to move to Dubai at first place.

While I was visiting home, a thought came into my mind that if I get a lavishly attractive job offer from Pakistan, with fringe benefits and a salary package of few hundred thousand rupees, would I consider moving back to my home country? I flirted with the idea throughout my stay but as soon as I landed in Dubai and stepped out of the airport, the thought vanished from my mind like it never existed, until now when I begin to write this post.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is in worse condition today then it was when I left the country over 19 months ago. And I don’t see any hope of things getting better in foreseeable future. The reasons I decided to move out still hold strong.

Don’t take me wrong. I love Pakistan, but blind patriotism is nothing but stupidity. Pakistan has serious issues and I refuse to live in Pakistan until those basic issues are sorted out (no offense and disrespect aimed at people still living in Pakistan and surviving every single day).

I will not go into detail of what problems are being faced by Pakistan as one blog post cannot do justice with this topic, but I must mention problems like power shortage, high fuel prices, security problems, and high level of stress (probably resulting from these issues) as factors that make it hard to live in Pakistan.

The only good and positive thing I noticed was relatively higher levels of penetration of broadband internet. It is slowly becoming affordable to get high speed internet access for common people. But then, what good is high speed internet when you don’t have the electricity to access it.

You can be rich anywhere in the world. But what matters is where you feel secure, independent, happy, and comfortable. I am not saying Dubai satisfies 100% of these requirements (although it is thousand times better), but as of now neither does Pakistan and that’s why I live in Dubai today.

Let’s hope and pray that things in Pakistan improve to a level that it once again becomes a desirable place to live.

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  • Abbas Khan
    Blind patriotism? Huh? How could you actually say that when you willingly left your parents under the situations where country is now. I do agree with culprits you mentioned but I like your escape but I would have to call it selfishness until you help them to move as well. Give a sincere thought about it!
  • captureuniverse
    well brother.....one spends life by having string of HOPE, if you will lose that you will surely loose your life direction...so be hopeful....
  • beyond
    i think the problem with us overseas pakistani is that they get used to the so called good life very soon.and its just not a pakistani thing.anybody gets used to the luxury quickly.it is human nature.if you are living in a land where there is not power supply problem,you will have clean water to drink etc,traffic is quite proper,you will hesitate to go back to a place where all these problems are common.if people are being kidnapped for ransom,mobile snatching is a normal thing,you will think twice to go to that land.i lived in pakistan my whole life,its just been 6 years since i moved abroad,i cant stand heat(garmi)now.it is 27 degrees and i will turn on the ac which is a spring season in pakistan because i am used to of colder weather.and mind you i am from central punjab which is one of the hottest places in pakistan.so i understand where umar is coming from.
  • dhard
    hahah doing best at work ...when u cant do best at home ... is onlly living in disguise dear.
  • rushna
    Hi, A distant relative of mine, who had a nice job in karachi,was robbed and killed just the day before ramadan ..he left 4 small kids and a wife..so I agree with umar that you can be rich anywhere..but if you have no security then saying all that patriotic things would bring that guy back?same thing happened with a girl who went to pakistan after so many years and got snatched at the signal...why are people getting so emotional? except the reality rather than saying that overseas pakis are not good for the country...and removing dictator didnt solve the security issues or poverty ...if it has done any good to the country than there shouldnt be any robbery or power crisis ..wake up and be practical.
  • Nash
    Sorry about your loss. Crimes do happen every where. Did you know Pakistan has the same murder rate as the US? Both have 6.8 per 100,000 inhabitants (check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_...). We're still much better off than South, Central America and Africa. And we're better than the world average which is 7.6 per 100,000. You're just generalizing Pakistan based on a singular experience. In which country exactly are there no homocides or muggings?
  • hi, nobody said overseas pakistani are bad for the country!!

    no denying that there are thugs, dakaits and God knows what else in this country. but where arent such people in this world?

    my simple request is to stop generalization about Pakistan. in your opinion 160 million people in Pakistan and sleeping and unpractical (or living in denial) and you are the only one in complete senses?? you see to be suffering from megalomania.
  • Nash
    Hey Umar,

    You have every right to go where ever you want and live where ever you want. There's no arguing about that. If you feel safer, better and happier in Dubai then more power to you.

    The problem comes in when you basically say "Pakistan isn't good enough for me"; which sounds like a slap on the face for people living here. Why? Because it sounds like you're pittying those "unfortunate" to be "left" here. Pakistan is its people. If you don't like a place, how could you like its people?

    This may suprise you; there are many of us who despite having opprtunity to go abroad and live outside, we choose to live here. I know its much harder than living outside, I know its not easy but if we leave, who would be here to drive this country forward? You can pretend to absolve yourself of the duty to your country but I can't.

    In the end, it all comes down to what we stand for and what do we hope to achieve from this life. If we want to live selfishly, we would want the best and only the utter best for ourselves. But if we wanted to give it back, who better to give it back to than Pakistan?

    In any case, I hope you live happy where ever you choose to live. And don't worry about Pakistan, the good people here will get it through. We removed a dictator, we've cleaned a judiciary and now we're going to use that judiciary against institutional corruption.
  • usiddiqi
    ok so if you none of you are able to read between the lines then i will elaborate a little more.

    if you read my post carefully i have mentioned problems like security, power crisis, inflation and so on. For some people these are non-issues. It's ok for some people to live constantly under fear, to get their valuables snatched away from them on a regular basis and be unable to do anything about it. I think it's all right for some folks to live several nights and hours without electricity, to stay awake all night because of it and not be as productive at work the next day. It doesn't matter to some people if they stay home for several days a year due to strikes and similar reasons. Some people don't see high inflation rate as a big problem. Everyone has different tolerance level, I guess.

    My tolerance level, for these issues, is very low. I tried to survive through it for a long time but i couldn't take it anymore, specially when there was no "part" to play to resolve these issues at an individual level. All these so called "small" problems added up to a level when every day became a quest for survival. I only had two options, close my eyes and pretend there are no problems, or move out and live at a place where there is truly peace of mind. That's when I realized it was not worth the effort and moved out of Pakistan. Other people might be oblivious to these risks but I was not. Like I said, everyone has a different perspective and I, despite being known for my persistence and perseverance, gave up after some time.

    Now, almost two years later, I don't see the situation any better. Security situation is as bad, if not worse, power crisis is much worse, inflation is sky high. It doesn't give me any pleasure to see my country in this state but the at the same I have to do what's best for myself, my family and my career.
  • Neena
    Umar - you've a point but most of the people who live there
    - they try every mean to get out of the country and some who do get out and make it to the west end up in more miserable conditions as without money developed countries are nightmares. As for security - the jobs our people get (driving cab, delivering pizza, managing gas station, working during late night hours, etc.) is more dangerous. But if someone get a white collar job outside Pakistan then by all means they can make it there and hopefully able to raise their kids without any racial tension.

    With recession and all lot of qualified and educated people are returning to Pakistan specially getting nice jobs around Islamabad. I hear Islamabad is still a nice and secure place to live and raise a family, does it hold some water?
  • <sarcasm>
    yea and will be more secure after new American embassy.
    </sarcasm>
  • Sometimes I don't like that "holier than thou" attitude of Pakistanis. Those who re attacking Umar can't claim that they are not seeking "opportunities". Please be honest with yourself. What all Umar said is actually voice of majority of the learned class who are worried about their family and their future. Are you guys saying you are not worried and seeking to move out either via immigration or something else?

    If you disagree with Umar then why you patriotic souls come out and sort out the problems of Pakistan and prove Umar wrong and make him embarrassed? Talks without actions are not going to make you credible anyway.

    Think again who's whining here and who;s being a loser. Umar could be wrong but he's just being honest about current situation of Pakistan. America is starting giving Visas from Karachi. You guys will be witnessing long queues to grab the visa and leave the country.

    p.s: Don't go on my surname. I have no relation with Umar. My comment is based on what every Pakistani has been feeling today
  • adnan - you bring up a vast number of questions which are very irrelevent to the post here.

    let me ask you something from umar's post:
    "...things in Pakistan improve to a level that it once again becomes a desirable place to live."

    what umar is basically saying is that he left for dubai because things in pakistan had become undesirable to live and now he see things going from bad to worse with no chance of foreseeable improvements. that's a mighty big claim!

    i think things are not that bad (and certainly not undesirable to the extent that you cant live) in Pakistan and that's why i am living here.

    I do not whine and I do not live a loserish live unlike some people who bitch & cry about their very own home.
  • Loserish life? that's funny

    As I said, what all Umar said is not something which is uncommon. Umar words can be heard by many young Pakistnis here and there. re you saying Pakistanis have stopped begging for US /Dubai Visa? please talk about facts.

    There is no harm if Umar is worried about his family. Everyone is. It's just umar got a chance and others don't.
  • Hi. You seem to miss the point entirely and are starting a different conversation. What I replied to Umar is that I disagree with him when he says that Pakistan is worsening and we have no hope in foreseeable future. We have lots of good things happening, e.g. return of a democratic process, Pakistan winning the T20 worldcup, free judiciary, general development (at least in Karachi), etc. I for one do see a lot of hope for Pakistan - it's just not going to fade away like media junkies puts it in front of the (il)literate masses. And if Pakistan was really such a gone case, foreign & even local companies would have stopped investing here long time ago.

    Your rest of the comment is very childish and I do not want to stoop to your level to explain it to you. But to talk of facts, most of the Pakistanis are NOT begging for US/Dubai visa (what percentage of Pakistanis in a long line at the American consulate?).
  • What you gonna do when one day you go to your job and told that you are no more needed. You have got a month at max to clear out liabilities and get out of UAE. Where will you go then? back to Pakistan?

    Your approach to life seems to be of an escapist, turning your back to issues and running away from situations, blaming others and hoping somebody come and solve the crisis for you. Why not stay and play your part? What do you do when there is an issue at home? Do you leave home and expect others to resolve it for you?

    You are fortunate to have a country and freedom. Consider those who born and spend their lives in refugee camps, or between broders and have no place to call home.
  • usiddiqi
    i will come back to Pakistan if i am unable to get a replacement job anywhere else. don't take me wrong... i never said i will never live in pakistan for the rest of my life.

    The major issues being faced by pakistan cannot be solved by common people... its beyond their control... if i had continued to live in pakistan we would still be facing power crisis and lawlessness. How can I solve these problems? What I can do is do my best at work, live an honest life, abide by the laws, and be good to fellow pakistanis. That's how I can and did play my part. I did all that while I lived in Pakistan, but if at the end of the day there is no security then whats the use. If I am giving my 100% to a country then the least I expect is security and peace of mind.

    Yes I am very fortunate to be from a country that is independent and not ruled by external forces, no denying that. But that doesn't mean the country is without problems. And if those problems are not being resolved by citizens "playing their part" for decades then something is wrong on the top.
  • Ali
    It would be a blessing for Pakistan that people like you stay in Dubai.

    I would seriously doubt a company that would offer you a job for hundreds of thousands rupees after reading this post.

    What would you do when that company needs your effort to improve it... Leave it? Yay! I would only hire such a person if I want to close down my company by demotivating everyone out of it!
  • usiddiqi
    same principles apply here. if the employees of that company are feeling secure and if the problems are within the control of the employees, and if there is a genuine willingness by the management of the company to improve it and if they are ready to do whatever is required instead of getting involved in irrelevant matters and distracting the employees from the actual problems, then myself and all the employees of the company would do whatever it takes to improve the company. But if none of the above factors are true then i doubt the company would have any loyal employees at first place.

    brain drain is major pakistani problem, and if you consider that a blessing for pakistan then good luck.
  • Umar, your logic is wrong yet again.

    You are treating the 'company' as a seperate entity. Whereas in reality every company is what it's people are. People from lower cader within the company grow up to be the company's management.

    And to the brain drain note - i cant help but smiling at your pompous self-believes. Good luck to you my friend.
  • this post is simply rude - and seems to be written by a whiny loser.

    can you explain your put up assumptions that you state as to be universal truths...?

    "Pakistan is in worse condition today then it was when I left the country over 19 months ago. And I don’t see any hope of things getting better in foreseeable future."
  • usiddiqi
    can you prove it otherwise, mr. polite?
  • you put up a hypothetical statement based on your 'experience' and are asking me to prove it otherwise? what sort of logic is that?

    you need to prove yourself to be correct based on facts rather than us proving you wrong.
  • usiddiqi
    thats how i play it chief
  • beyond
    it is a loaded post.but i agree with you to some extent but not in the way you put which was a bit too fantasy based,like a mythical force will come and solve all the problems.the fact is people will make it better and i and you are people.BUT when you have kids and you have recession,it is not a good reason to move anywhere.now a days its a blessing if you are in steady employment.BUT i think we will move back if we get a good job etc.simply because i want my kids to feel the same struggle that we met when we were growing up.not because i want them to struggle but i really feel that it does make a person better patiance and otherwise.but again thats just my thinking.
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