WE spend 2.4 per cent of the budget on education, which is 1pc lower than what India spends. If we look around us and see other nations, such as Iran, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, more money is spent on education than we spend on a sector from where knowledge arises.

All the countries in the Far East were at the same stage as Pakistan in the 1950s, but they have woken from their deep slumber and made progress in due course of time. Pakistan struggled to do that, as most of those in power just knew how to line their pockets.

The Pakistani rupee was Rs3.70 against the American dollar in 1947. All our cash has flown abroad. Now it is well past the Rs170 mark. One fails to understand why the government is so passionate about electronic voting machines (EVMs) when there is so much on the ground that needs its urgent attention. From the economic woes to the torn social fabric, there is so much going in a debatable direction.

Navaid Husain
Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2021