Breaking Pakistan’s Gora Asaib

Recently attended the REM Conference (Rare Earth Minerals) organised by the National School of Public Policy (NSPP). It was a policy formulation get-together titled “Rare Earth Minerals in Pakistan: Opportunities and Challenges”. Six technical sessions were held over two days (August 17 and 18), followed by a closing ceremony. Experts, both local and expatriate, participated in the deliberations.

With my experience in the development of Pakistan’s mining sector, I came home charged by the quality of the deliberations, but it was short-lived. By late evening, depression took over. A thought haunted me: With so much talent and so many resources, why are the results minimal? I was reminded of Munir Niazi’s verse: “Kia Asaib ka Sia Ha.” He could not find an answer in his lifetime.

Last year, I had a chance to meet a British researcher who was conducting research on ‘de-colonisation’. According to her, all 56 former colonies continue to languish while the world has advanced. Certainly, it is not a local ‘Asaib’, as our Amils have not succeeded in shattering this evil spell. It is perhaps a ‘Gora Asaib’ (white, not black, magic), as it continues to control our destiny. An out-of-the-box approach is required. Perhaps ‘Gora’ or expatriate exorcists are needed. Both China and India have successfully tried this approach. Expatriates have played a key role in the development of these countries.

About 250 years ago, Americans were able to win freedom by totally dismantling the colonial system. A fresh start was made. Everything British was rejected. They even decided to drive on the right side of the road instead of the left. Today, the USA is the oldest constitutional democracy in the world and also the largest economy and a superpower. It continues to attract the best brains from around the world.

As a nation, we have been struggling to trace our path forward for 79 long years. Almost all experiments have failed to produce the desired results, yet the experimentation continues. Four constitutions have been framed so far (1956, 1962, 1972 and 1973), while amendments are ongoing.

A couple of years back, President Abdullah Gul of Turkey visited Pakistan. After a large gathering, he had a separate session with the experts. I still remember his words: “With so much talent, why is Pakistan faltering?” He said that when they took over, they invited their expatriate experts to guide them. They sat on one side of the table while the implementers sat on the other. Under their guidance, they turned Turkey around.

Yes, indeed, our land can also prosper if the yokes are removed and instructions are followed, not dodged.

In 1992, I began my innings in Pakistan as a consultant to the Saindak Copper-Gold Project. Valued at Rs16 billion, it was the largest project of its time. While I did my best to provide the needed professional guidance, the management had other plans based mostly on vested interests and a lack of understanding of international mining practices.

Despite my warnings, the project was handed over to the Chinese contractor who built the mine. An opportunity was lost to build local expertise for large-scale commercial mining and processing of non-ferrous metals.

Thank God, Thar saw the light of day under our control. Coal mined from Block II by SECMC (Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company) is being used to generate power. A project has also been launched to produce urea after gasification. While existing coal-fired plants are being converted to the local black gold, new projects on imported fuel have been stopped.

GSP (Geological Survey of Pakistan) has already submitted plans for the establishment of a national centre for Rare Earth Minerals development. Investments are needed, but a better approach is to build pilot plants at a much lower cost. Such plants can foster growth in this vital sector.

Munir pointed out the spell that continues to haunt us to this day. It is time to break loose and formulate a workable plan to develop the mineral-rich mining sector of Pakistan. What lies buried underneath can turn us around once the ‘Asaib’ is gone.