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No one can beat Pakistan and its nation in planning. Neither, is there any shortage of talent and excellent human resources with highest skills, nor are we lacking in the capabilities to evolve technologies and manage institutions with high quality products.
Today South Korea dominates the economic world with the five-year plan they borrowed from Pakistan in early sixties. The PIA built the Singapore Airlines and one of the world’s best Emirates Airlines, but the PIA was destroyed by our own doings. The upcoming reservations system, totally evolved by the Pakistanis in PIA was not only killed but was handed over to the Cyber of US. Similarly, the PIA kitchen and precision engineering workshops were all destroyed after a brilliant take-off.
Institutions after institutions have been destroyed even though the planning was par excellence — except for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and few more. The universities and colleges, the Railways, Suparco, the PCSIR etc., though had the world’s best talent but could not touch the heights they should have. The Parliament is no exception. It was thought that educated members entering the National Assembly would make some difference but alas, to no avail.
Surprisingly, the same people after leaving these institutions make wonders while working in other countries. There are instances where Pakistanis are holding prestigious positions in foreign countries, with their works publishing in international papers. On account of institutional failures their colleagues working here could not even achieve 10 per cent of the success.
The main fault lies in the implementation of plans without which the institutions crash to the ground after brilliant take-off. The statistical analysis of the failed institutions in Pakistan brings out the absence of following common ingredients, whose presence or absence would make them a success or failure.
1. Head of the institution: This is the most important link of the chain. If the leadership is corrupt and incompetent, or is not committed, and most important a non-player of the game, then such an institution is bound to crash, however glittering it appears on the surface and on paper. Therefore, the provision of leadership is the most important factor.
2. Purification of intentions: Pure intention is a blessing and brings destination in reach. Therefore, the head of an institution should constantly review and check his intentions, and of those who have been given the responsibility making sure the supreme interest is to achieve the goals and objectives.
3. Backing and financial support: Once a team leader has been selected he must have the full liberty of action, support and least interference from political and top circles. Help should be available to him to control such elements that are not sincere. His integrity in general and financial credibility in particular will always be treated above the board.
4. A good team: The head should be given all the facilities to select a team, which would stand by their leader to achieve the excellence, and goals set for the institutions. Our institutions, which did not implement the above four golden principles have crashed, while quite a few who practised the above rules achieved what was considered impossible.
Case studies: Below is the case study of higher engineering education in Pakistan, backbone of human resource development, which very well illustrates the above points. On their success depends the progress of the country. India dominates through the manpower produced by its IITs, created in fifties and today they are recognized by the top American and the world class universities and their graduates dominate major American and British industrial organizations and universities as managers and faculty members. Indians in the American universities form the most influential lobby in American politics and think tanks, working for India and Indians.
Professionals did an excellent planning in 1960-61 to establish two top class institutions of higher engineering education which would be comparable to the IIT. of India and the MIT of the US, and similar universities in Israel. As a result of which the Maclagan College of Engineering at Lahore, and the Ehsanullah Engineering College at Dhaka were raised to the status of the universities.
However, at the time of implementation the West Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore that was raised on the foundations of the Maclagan College of Engineering, the oldest in Pakistan, a retired chief engineer of the P.W.D was appointed as its first vice-chancellor. He had never been to a university in his life and now suddenly he finds himself in the chair of vice-chancellor with a mandate to develop a newly born university into a world class research and post graduate institution. The result after 40 years of its existence shows that it did never cross the level of an undergraduate engineering college.
Same is true for the NED engineering college which on raising its level to that of a university in 1976 was handed over to a retired and failed railway engineer. Twenty-five years have passed and it has yet to produce a PhD and has basically remained an undergraduate institution.
The irony of fate is that we have entered into the 21st century and instead of learning from the past the situation is getting worse. The UET, Lahore, is now headed by a retired army general with a B.A. degree in humanities, as if it’s an infantry or artillery division, and similarly the NED for the last seven years is headed by an associate diploma holder in engineering and yet the nation expects research of the PhD level and strong postgraduate programmes which are obviously beyond their comprehension. Many examples can be given where institutions have failed as a result of the implementation errors. The HEJ institute of higher learning offers a visible contrast to the UET Lahore and the NED Karachi, though on a smaller scale covering only one subject of organic chemistry yet it provides an excellent model to learn.
Another example on a larger scale is the KRL. There was nothing on ground or even on paper when Abdul Qadeer Khan appeared on the scene. Yet they achieved a nuclear breakthrough within eight years and achieved what looked like a remote possibility. This a classic example of success since all the ingredients enumerated for a successful institution were present, i.e.
* A sound plan
* A dedicated, sincere, honest and competent leadership.
* Equally dedicated, sincere, hardworking competent team selected on merit and merit alone.
* Full support and financial freedom to the team leader.
Other success, stories in this regard include, but not limited to are:
* The Khanum Cancer Hospital.
* The HEJ Research Institute, University of Karachi.
* The Hamdard Foundation of Hakim Saeed.
* The GIK Institute took off very well (likely to go down with political interference and leadership).
* The Heavy Mechanical Complex Taxila.
* The Pakistan Army, Air Force and Navy and most institutions under their control.
Below is the list of some of the failed institutions now trying to recover:
* The National Assembly and Parliament.
* The Pakistan International Airlines.
* The Pakistan Railways.
* Suparco
* The PCSIR
* Most universities in public sector including the National University of Science and Technology.
* The Pakistan Steel Mill
Last but not the least, the government of Pakistan and the provincial governments, and the municipal corporations are a classic example of failed institutions which now are under the process of revival.
