Sustainable Development through Science and Technology
Abstract
After 50 years of nationhood, about 60 million Pakistani citizens still live in absolute poverty, a condition so debasing that it robs the poor of the very potential of their genes. Illiteracy, malnutrition, and high maternal, child, and infant mortality afflict more than 50% of Pakistan’s population of 144 million. Due to mismanagement of its human and natural resources, Pakistan is in a vicious cycle of economic dependence (Figures 2 & 3) with high indebtedness, low growth rates of exports and GDP, and a decaying education system. During the last two decades, Pakistan has engaged in firefighting through external debt re-schedulings and increasing its dependence on the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank, International Monetary Fund) and their richer shareholders. As a result, the important development needs of the nation’s human capital have been grossly neglected. It has failed to develop its human capital, particularly its domestic scientific and engineering communities, and thus is not ready to meet the growth challenges of the 21st century. It is postulated that Pakistan must, on a crash basis, develop a domestic scientific and technology (S&T) community and create a scientific infrastructure if it seeks to become economically and politically self-reliant. With about 100 scientists/engineers per million population, Pakistan’s current S&T capacity is woefully inadequate to capitalize on the wealth of opportunities that are becoming available through globalization. The S&T capacities of Pakistan’s competitors in the world marketplace are significantly higher (300 per million for India; 600 per million for China; 2,600 per million for Korea). Pakistan needs both enhanced S&T capacity and the associated education system if it is to increase the “science-cum-knowledge content” of its exports and GDP. This is a sine qua non for achieving expanded economic well-being.
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