Echoes of the Colour Green

Image courtesy of sharepakistan.com 

Echoes of the Colour Green

by

Saddam Hussein 

Last night, abruptly a thought popped into my mind "could Pakistan be an Asian Tiger". After a little research the answer was affirmative. Have you ever thought that we have everything, we just need the dedicated leadership and an energized youth who could push the “ON” button of this machinery which is called Pakistan.

Firstly, I will bring to light the tourism. Tourism has not always been a top priority for our leaders despite the fact that Pakistan has much going for it in this regard. A fusion of different cultures exists here. This land has the glorious history and unique culture of:

The gallant Pashtoons

The distinct tradition of the Baloch

The ancient times of Sindh and the 

Rich and diverse culture of Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, respectively.  

We have got mountains, valleys, deserts, rivers, lakes, forests and jungles. So what do you think? Would people not come to see and experience all this. Pakistan can earn billions of dollars just by expansion, advertisement, good administration, better infrastructure and paying special attention to the tourism sector.

Secondly, Pakistan has the most important geo-strategic location in the region (also in the world). It should know its worth. We can bring in big investment  by acting as a transit state between the East and the West, between the Gulf countries and Central Asia in specific. If we become successful in developing Gawader-a world class sea port, then it surely will not lag behind other regional ports of repute such as that of Dubai`s.

Thirdly, we have to deal honestly with the education sector. No doubt we have prestigious institutions like Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamic College University, National University of Science and Technology, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute, Agha Khan University and Lahore University of Management Sciences-we can make them into the top universities of the world by sheer hard work and efficient management. Will we just rely on these institutions? The answer is absolutely not. We have to do more. 

The stepping stones have been laid by the Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as they founded and instated Khan Abdul Wali Khan University: and Khushal Khan Khattak University is also in the pipeline. Punjab Government is also doing well in this regard.

Fourthly, we have to mull over our production capabilities. We are only exporting rice, raw cotton and raw leather. We are losing a large amount of foreign exchange by sending out just the raw material. Pakistan should install industries of these goods and should export fully finished manufactured products (with the stamp of “Made in Pakistan”…ahhh it has a ring to it that makes me happy).  We need a larger customer-base and should also develop other industries besides the few that are mentioned above.

Fifthly, this land has got huge water resources. Why are we confining ourselves to Kala-Bagh dam only and applying the brakes to further development? Rather we should learn lessons from the giant economies and ought to go for building smaller scale but more dams. In fact I am of the opinion that in  portions of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, we should also initiate water transport-the cheapest means of transportation.

Lastly, as my heart is beating for Pakistan, so I want to say something to the world. We may be arrogant but we can feel the pain of others. Some of us may be corrupt but the rest know how to work for their country. We share our  sorrows and happiness together. We are proud of our ethnicities but at the end we die as a Pakistani. 

Our people know how to hug others when they are going through a tragedy. We are the people who give their umbrellas to those who don’t have one when it rains. Even the strangers are invited by us as guests. I am very optimistic about the future of my country. I am waiting for the day, in the near future, when the color GREEN will be echoing across the world.

Saddam Hussein is a 20 year old whose heart, much like ours, beats and bleeds for Pakistan. An economics student whose roots lie with the Khattak tribe. He originally hails from Hangu in Kyhyber Pakhtunkhwa. He is a patriot, a fervent enthusiast on Pashtoon history and culture, a topic on which he has conducted a lot of research. In this article for Rennaisance Saddam dazzles and delights us with novel thinking on how Pakistan can cash its chips and project a positive image by focusing on tourism, education, geo-strategic positioning, production capabilities and water resources.