The perpetual political, social and sectarian strife in Pakistan has brought the quality of life in the country down to perhaps the lowest level in the world. The quality of life is measured by how effectively a society provides education, medical care, personal freedom, productive business climate, recreation, artistic and creative activities and transportation facilities to its citizens.

A common error is to blame it all on our politicians, our armed forces, the imperial forces of the world, our neighboring countries , natural calamities and other divine factors. The fact is the fault lies in us not our stars.

No nation can prosper with a three percent plus population growth rate, declining literary rate , fast dwindling material resources, a hostile climate, all under the domain of feudal lords. The results are obvious; gruesome miseries of life, high infants mortality, disease infested bodies and a slow death. The degree of resultant emotional and personal trauma is large. The irony is that the statistics are getting worse. We are doomed. Unless, we rise soon.

What has wrought this calamity upon us is not difficult to understand. We have done what humans do for quick gratification: cure the symptom to alleviate immediate pain. We should have, instead, examined the organic cause and tried rooting it out.

The principle cause of the demise of societies and culture s for all time has been the lack of education. If we can only take care of this end, all other ills shall cure themselves. The minimum take-off point for an educated society is 60 pc literacy rate. We have a long way to go to reach that goal because the true literacy rate is declining in Pakistan.

The responsibility lies squarely on us, not our politicians.

We have been demanding roti, kapra and makan; the time has come to demand what will help us achieve all, education and nothing else.

We are living through a condition, which is culmination of years of planned neglect; it is not going to change suddenly.

[12 September 1990 The Daily Dawn]