The real asset

This refers to the article, ‘Game changers’ (Jan 22), by Farrukh Saleem. The writer has hinted towards various projects in the country which are being mentioned as the game-changers for Pakistan. These projects are: The Thar Coalfield project; LNG project; Saindak Copper-Gold project; Iron ore mining project; Reko Diq project, etc. The writer said that although these projects may be game-changers, the real ‘game changers’ are the people of Pakistan – the country’s human asset. To make maximum use of this human resource, this resource should be an educated and healthy work force. He is absolutely right. All developed Asian countries have excelled due to optimum utilisation of their human resource. In Pakistan, unemployment is out of control. Millions of young men and women are running from pillar to post with degrees in their hands in search of jobs. No serious efforts have been made by the government in this direction. Why can we not establish training centres to train these people in skills which are in high demand? Long time back, there was a need for eighty nurses from Pakistan who were supposed to be employed in various hospitals of the UAE. Sufficient time was allowed to select and send these nurses. But, because of lethargy and bureaucratic hurdles, the selection process was delayed with the result that the nurses couldn’t be sent by due date. The UAE approached another country that sent its nurses within three days.

Similarly, the country is wasting a very important segment of its technical workforce that is trained on highly sophisticated avionics and aerospace equipment but remains unutilised. This workforce if employed by a European or American company, engaged in the manufacture of highly sophisticated equipment, could easily get $50 (Rs5,000) an hour. If sending them to Western countries is difficult, they can at least be sent to the Gulf States in an organised manner.

Air-Cdre (r) Azfar A Khan

Karachi