The Friday Time recently published a short article asking which of three critical issues facing Pakistan were most important. The choices were climate change, events in Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s growing military relationship with China. I posted a response on their website, but it was taken down. As such, I decided to post my thoughts here.
I thought it was a great article that raised extremely important issues, so I really want to discuss.
As a preliminary matter, I think Pakistan’s exploding population should be at the top of this list but out of the three listed, I am most concerned with climate change. I have already seen anecdotal evidence of lower crop yields recently. Things will only get worse over the next few decades as temperatures rise and water becomes scarce. Pakistan needs to invest in green agriculture, water conservation technology, and renewable energy and do it now or a lot of people will starve.
It will need to take a page out of Israel’s playbook and learn to grow crops in harsh environments with as little water as possible. That’s going to take a lot of capital and a lot of technological know-how. Israel’s agricultural sector is one of the most technologically advanced in the world. It uses sensors, drone imaging, and computers to manage crops, increase yields, and use as few inputs as possible.
If Pakistan is going to develop similar capabilities it will need to implement a whole range of reforms to create or empower the required educational institutions, private companies, and government agencies that will all need to contribute to these efforts.
As I explain here, the next war between India and Pakistan will start over water. Unfortunately, I also believe Pakistan will lose this war without drastic changes. As such, climate change is the most pressing issue because it has the potential to lead to famine and war. But I also think Afghanistan is an extremely important issue.
The key to securing and stabilizing Afghanistan is learning to work with Iran, Turkey, and all of Afghanistan’s communities. The best way to do that is to create an alliance between all four nations that can facilitate trade and connectivity between them. I have also talked about this several times in a variety of contexts. For example, here I discuss why this alliance will benefit Iran and here I discuss how it could stabilize the region’s national security environment given America’s withdrawal from the region.
Creating this alliance would also address concerns about Pakistan’s growing dependency on China which will not be good for its long-term development. The essays referenced above also explain why.
As the Friday Times highlights, climate change is but one of many challenges on the horizon. India’s shift to the right and growing military and economic power will also create problems for Pakistan.
The best way to deal with the uncertainty that is sure to accompany the next few decades is by building an industrial and scientific base that can deal with these challenges. The first and most fundamental step to doing that is protecting the rights of Pakistanis to say whatever they damn well please. Without freedom of expression, creating an intellectual environment conducive to the sort of technological development Pakistan must undergo if it wishes to avoid famine or another military defeat is impossible.
By continuing to bow to outdated religious sentiments, Pakistan’s leaders ensure it will not have the technological capacity to deal with the chaos the next few decades will witness. If Pakistan does not take serious steps towards creating an advanced industrial and scientific base, it will be hard pressed to deal with any of them.
As I explain here, the greatest threat to the entire Muslim world is the fact that they will soon be left behind in the race to space. Many nations and wealthy companies are investing in technology that will allow them to control space and the massive wealth contained in the asteroid belt. Once they do, they will use this power to dominate the Muslim world for another five centuries. Again, the only way to prevent this from happening is by investing in technological and intellectual development. Just as the idiotic ideas of the Muslim world’s Ulama and generals led to Europe’s colonial conquests centuries ago, their continuing refusal to evolve will doom Muslims to more slaughter and violence.
The author is a Pakistani-American, US Navy veteran, and an attorney in the field of intellectual property law. He writes about ways to reform the Muslim world on his blog, www.mirrorsfortheprince.com.