My first exposure to the quota system was under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB). In 1968, I was a young officer with ICI (Pak) Ltd. A newly recruited officer from the then Dacca was assigned to Karachi for two years training, before going back to the ICI office in Dacca. His name was Kamran Choudhry and his wife was Geetiara (Champa) Choudhry. Kamran (KC for short) and I became close friends. KC, before joining ICI, was the most powerful student leader of the then East Pakistan. He was a close confident of ZAB who was trying to develop a power base in East Pakistan. On his first visit to 70 Clifton, KC took me along. ZAB enquired about my credentials as the intelligence community was keeping a close eye on 70 Clifton. On being assured that I was a friend, ZAB relaxed and chatted politics with KC for over an hour. I continued to have occasional encounters with ZAB. Then history took a somersault and the break-up happened.
Fast forward to 1973. I was based in Lahore. ZAB, as Prime Minister was in Lahore for some event. Mustafa Khar, the Governor, held a dinner. I was invited. During the evening ZAB asked a group of us, what were our views on the Quota Policy he had recently announced for Sind. I kept my silence. After the psychopaths had dispersed, ZAB looked at me and said, "I asked, you a pointed question. Reply." I said "Sir, you have just destroyed the future generations of Sind (Sindh was not in vogue). A society that cannot compete on merit, and needs to be propped up, is bound to fail". ZAB downed his Chivas Regal, asked for a refill and said, "This is a political decision, not a management one. History will prove me right". Then with a wave of hand he dismissed me. 46 years on, my statement stands vindicated. The Sindhi youth took the easy route - Quota. They did not excel or strive for excellence. The evidence is all around us - barring a few exceptions. Pakistan has three ultra-competitive environments - 1) The armed forces. 2) The multinational corporations. 3) International sports. One sees very few Sindhi's at the top. There is enough anecdotal and empirical evidence to discredit the Quota System.
Incidentally, KC went on to become a successful businessman. Champa even more so - she owns the largest advertising agency in Bangladesh - ADCOMM. She has been a Cabinet Minister and twice President of the Dhaka Club.
The Urdu-speaking community of Pakistan (despairingly called Mohajirs) were a talented lot. They played a key role in developing Pakistan - arts, academia, military, business, investment, civil service, etc. Then Altaf Hussain and MQM happened. History had well documented the MQM activities for the last 30 years. I suffer from the misfortune of being born in CMH, Agra (My father being an officer in the British Indian Army). I understand Altaf Bhai was born in the same city. I have kept a safe distance from MQM. The only exception being in March 1996 when a young, unknown lawyer named Farogh Naseem defended me in a framed-up charge by the PPP government. Currently, however, I am a great fan of our Mayor, Wasim Akhtar. Akhtar can conjure up more excuses than a magician - no water, he has an excuse. Garbage, he has an excuse. Dengue, he has an excuse. Stray dogs, he has an excuse. Drugs being sold on every street corner, he has an excuse. He has given rise to a new medical condition called 'Excusomania'. I hope the virus does not spread. Altaf Hussain imposed a Quota System with a twist - he told his youthful followers that merit does not matter. What matters is power and thuggery. After 25 years the consequences are before us.
The greatest historian of our times, Paul Kennedy, in his famous book "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers" has written that in 1500 (The dividing line between the modern and ancient times) the world was ruled by six empires of equal strength - The Ming Empire of China, The Mughal Empire, The Persian Empire, The Ottoman Empire, The Muscovy Empire (Russia) and the small countries that made up the European Empire. Eventually all empires became complacent and decayed. Except Europe. The various small empires of Europe competed tooth and nail for dominance - in medicine, commerce, armaments, finance, science and technology, diplomatic influence. It was a Darwinian struggle for survival. Eventually the European nations colonized 90% of the Earth's surface. It was not about Quotas, but about competition.
Norway has 7 million population. It has the largest sovereign fund in the world - currently estimated at US$ 1.3 Trillion. Norwegians were a hardy race. Remember the Vikings. Now all Norwegians can receive a universal wage - they don't have to work. The Quota System has kicked in. The Swiss parliament rejected the 'Universal Wage' proposal 2 years ago. Ever the pragmatists, the Swiss did not want to become lazy and Quota dependent. For a small country, Switzerland has many world-class multinational companies - Novartis and Nestle, for example. A Russian diplomat once told me that in the UAE, no Emirati group has the skills needed to run a modern state. If the expatriates (80% of the population) were to depart, the UAE would shut down. The Quota System is alive and healthy in the UAE. The IK's favourite leader, Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia, was a master craftsman of the Quota System. I don't want to disillusion IK by going into details.
(The writer is the former Executive Director of the Management Association of Pakistan)
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