To achieve any goal in any field, what is of utmost importance is practical endeavour, without which dreaming of achieving any goal is meaningless. The main work force needs an allied subsidiary work force to provide aid and tools which enable the main work force to fully devote their energies towards the achievement of the target.
And if not 50%, these subsidiary helping hands contribute a good share in achieving goals, ie in the field of medicine, the doctors and surgeons need experienced para-medical staff and equipment and technicians, to excel in their work.
The biggest example of support from the other allied fields was the role of the famous vocalist the late Madam Noor Jehan, in the war of 1965. Madam, who was abroad on a tour and was summoned on an urgent basis to inject motivation in the officers of the Pakistani troops, which resulted in their gallant performance.
And besides the professional performance of the troops, the general masses were also motivated who came out of their home to donate anything, which could be made available for the fighters. This episode is one example of national spirit and the technique of turning and tilting the power of the general masses for serving the country.
A very recent example of national spirit can be seen from the activities of our younger generation immediately after the earthquake of 8th October 2005. It was Saturday and till mid-afternoon, people were not aware of the intensity of this disaster in Balakot, Bagh and surroundings.
Till mid-afternoon, the masses were of the view that only the residential building by the name of "Margalla Towers" had collapsed, but after 15:00 hrs when news of the larger disaster started spreading, the people started helping their brothers in the affected areas, and without any government appeal and announcement, they collected the items needed.
Every sector, every individual and every organisation started extending professional services for the victims. And on the announcement of the Base Commander of the Pakistan Air Force, Shahra-e-Faisal Base, on an obscure radio channel for relief goods, at 15:00 hrs, the next day ie Sunday, the appeal of the Base Commander having spread like a jungle fire the road leading to PAF Base was jam packed with vehicles, with young people carrying relief goods. It was National Spirit which resulted in so many goods collected that 30 flights of larger cargo aircraft were needed to carry them to the affected areas.
To accommodate the changing priorities of the nation, commercial policies are announced on a yearly basis. A critical study of the performance of the last seven years reveals an overall improvement in every sector of the economy. The ultimate force behind these achievements is the Herculean efforts of the establishment and trade bodies.
The declarations of the state are now transparent and confidence has been restored in the nation and in countries interested in investment. Most of the efforts to build up foreign exchange reserves have given satisfactory results.
However, to clear up the huge amount of loans and interest, which equals the total national income, we have to take more drastic measures. In spite of broadening of the tax base, withdrawal of subsidies, adding surcharges on utilities, regulating the cost of fuel, electricity and gas, we could not fulfil the demands of the economy. We are required to generate more funds for the proper functioning of the government. To overcome these challenge, we have to further develop our national spirit in the following sectors.
DEVELOPMENT OF "NATIONAL SPIRIT" IN TRADE SECTOR:
SAVE MONEY BY CUTTING DOWN THE BILL OF IMPORTS:
EXPORT SECTOR IS TO BE RE-INJECTED WITH NEW BLOOD: Our main income is being generated from the export of conventional raw material without addition of value. We are potentially rich in mineral wealth, but we have not yet taken advantage of it.
We have to achieve higher targets. Countries well advanced in trade, with scanty resources of raw material, are now in an enviable position, selling their brand names (no commodity, no merchandise) and earning foreign exchange in royalties. We are, without qualms spending criminally on foreign names, rather than selling our own products to our own people.
Bottled water was introduced in this market with local brand names, but as a result of the aggressive sales efforts by international companies, we are using their names, without any technical advantage or supervision at any stage, even though we pay fees for it. Similarly, huge amounts are being paid on aerated waters, although this trade was initiated by locals with Pakistani names. If an incentive is given for producers of local brand there is no reason for us to not expect excellent results, which can save fees.
MILK: It is available in abundance in Punjab and other provinces are self-sufficient. It is time for us to see how best we can make use of it by improving marketing abilities. We are already the 5th largest producer of milk in the world. Is it not surprising to see that it is being sold in our own country with foreign brand names?
CONFECTIONERY ITEMS: We enjoyed for a long time, the availability of local brands but because of lack of progress in packing and improvement in quality, people have start losing confidence in indigenous brands. As a result of this negligence, daily consumable bread with indigenous raw materials cannot sell without a foreign name.
BISCUIT INDUSTRY: Name any international brand, you will find it in Pakistan made by a licensee. For decades, we have been making foreign brands with local raw material and more so without any foreigner to supervise production. Is it not possible to encourage people, already in the trade to start parallel production with a local "name and save royalties"?
ROYALTIES OF EDUCATION: It is a difficult and a very sensitive subject, but it confirms the reality that unimaginable foreign exchange amounts are being transferred to different countries regularly every year. Checks on these unrestricted remittances will help the nation in many ways.
IMPORTS: The only choice left for us is to ascertain whether our spendings are genuine, or are they being wasted on unproductive material. We have to cut short the shopping list to maintain a respectable amount of foreign exchange reserves and rely on local products.
The big gap thus created in earning and spending will lead us to un-manageably worse conditions.
DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL SPIRIT IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION: The creative energies of developed countries are engaged in pursuits to provide convenience to make life more comfortable. Globalisation and technological changes resulted in innovations, new types of organisations, different management skills and a shift to higher skill intensive economic activities.
Competition has created an urgent need for sustained human resources upgradation. It is not possible for the government alone to satisfy the requirements single-handedly unless employers and trading institutions share the responsibility. Our country is characterised by little or inappropriate investment in basic education, leave aside spending on development of human resources.
As a result, we are finding it exceedingly difficult to capture our own domestic market. But countries like Korea, Japan, Taiwan and a few neighbouring nations took timely action and adopted policies and practices to overcome their shortfalls and, now these are among the top of the line nations of the world.
It is still not too late to re-align our activities to meet the requirements of the fast changing world. We used to produce not more than a few hundred medical graduates, every year, which were far below our needs, but an initiative by an individual doctor totally changed the destiny of our country.
We have not only attained self-sufficiency in the field but also succeeded in educating more foreign students, including a large number from USA, numbering more than locals, and it has become a source of badly needed foreign exchange earnings.
This unique experiments gave way to others, and now we have more than three Medical Universities engaged in this lucrative business. They are not only earning foreign exchange, but also producing highly competent graduates serving in the country and the developed world.
Oil: The oil industry in Pakistan needs no introduction, for it plays important role in life. Airlines of the world have developed an implicit faith in the refuelling of their aircraft in Karachi, since it is serving as the gate way for eastern and western hemispheres.
We have every facility related to the petroleum business, starting from exploration, drilling, refining, storage, bunkering, transport and ultimately to the point of sale.
Thousands of personnel are working, round the clock, to provide services, meeting international standards and complying with different specifications, such as BSS, DIN and APL etc.
Most of our men have moved abroad to serve there, boasting good reputations. A sizable number of our executives, even after retirement, have been hired by the Gulf and Middle Eastern countries on policy making assignments.
Why does not the greatest National Oil Company, with facilities, the full support of the government and shareholders, obtain a charter from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to form a university of petroleum technology.
A petroleum university can help in developing human resources to meet the challenges of the day. Availability of this facility will not only enhance enterprise competitiveness, but will also make people adapt to the constantly changing skill requirements and flexibility of a market economy. The objective should also be to keep the employee in a state of learning, and he is more likely to learn something new and gain new insights.
All the facilities required for training institutes are available in abundance, land and amenities. Funds can be generated from innumerable sources. If the proposed university is associated with the name of any ruler of an oil producing country, there is no reason for us to think that the flow of finances would ever stop.
Our country is already known as a seat of education and literally thousands of students have already completed their studies in Pakistan. Before any other country among our neighbours gives a thought to this lucrative project, we should get hold of a patron and start working out the details.
Since trained in an school-like atmosphere, anything like superiority complex or an ego they are never develops in them and this helps a lot in their career. It has been noted that after completing education, most of the students without waiting for a convenient job start working with even a workshop and rise to lucrative positions. A large percentage either settle in the country or move abroad, where they get jobs beyond their expectations.
During the past decade, a sizeable number were employed abroad and the amount of remittances touched the highest figures ever. However, for reasons best known to the government, neither the quality of education improved, nor the number of students increased.
In fact, most of the institutes were closed and the premises are being used for purposes other than education. Without any further loss of time, polytechnic institutions be given all the attention they deserve, and the curriculum be improved to meet the challenges of the world.
Effects of globalisation will be un-imaginably fatal for countries without foresight and proper planning. A diploma holder never asks or expects a job from the government as a right, but takes advantage of his learning in building up his future, by himself.
We have been handicapped in various fields, which we realised very late, but have started to reduce the shortfall and it seems work on Information Technology has been given priority and other projects will also be receiving attention in due course.
There are two types of people rushing into Information Technology: One being the regular students, and the others are those who are in service, either involved with computers or at least connected with it.
Under these circumstances, a positive assurance of employment be given to educated unemployed people otherwise frustration is likely defeat the good work being done.
Youngsters coming up with higher qualifications, who have invested money acquiring education in this field, may ask for better emoluments and it would be the responsibility of the government to accommodate them. Delay may lead to brain drain, which would be detrimental to the interest of the country.
We have individuals working to promote Information Technology as a business and they contribute to the earnings of the country. It is a time to pool this talents to form bigger complexes, by adding a highly competent sales force to work in the country and abroad, to fetch software business.
NATIONAL SPIRIT IN OVERALL MUSLIM COMMUNITY: The Muslim community has an in-built system of helping each other, without which they would not have survived. Fast growth of population is creating problems of un-equal opportunities for individuals. As such it is the responsibility of the privileged to help the depressed increases.
Society will have to devise ways and means to eradicate the disparities on national level. Individuals or communities resolve problems but there are some, which need global assistance.
In spite of co-ordinated efforts, the gap between the rich and the poor is not being reduced. But in the fast changing world, values have also declined. We do have innumerable institutions working to help people in need, and these are operating well, without any assistance from the government. Funds required for the purpose are always generated on a voluntary basis, and by arranging suitable programmes of public interest.
In addition, philanthropists do contribute a lot in emergencies and for projects of permanent nature. Since all these are executed in the name of Almighty Allah, anything like misappropriation, misuse or insincerity has never been noticed. Further, we are bound by a clear injunction of the Quran to donate a fixed percentage of our income and our monetary holdings, every year, for poor people. This regular source of funds, available, is a great help for the eradication of unequal opportunities.
As compared to the work being done in the developed countries, we have a better and a wider base of philanthropy. It is because basic facilities are not provided by the government in under-developed countries, whereas developed countries do provide every convenience and the government takes the responsibility of welfare.
International agencies are at work, for decades, to eradicate poverty. To get quick results institutions like IMF, and World Bank, WTO have also joined in the task. These agencies do offer funds for projects of public welfare, but in accordance with their rules, it is to be paid back in a specified time. The essence of philanthropy cannot be found in such deals.
The track record of these lending agencies has, not produced the desired results, which the borrowing countries expect. However, if all this is business than it is time for under-developed countries to visualise the shape of things to come and to devise better means and ways of self-help.
We in Pakistan have relief institutions of all kinds working for decades with results that are not less impressive than those of organisations of international repute. Schools for handicapped people are working for proper rehabilitation in productive life.
Tools required to educate the handicapped children and adults, in the shape of publications, special languages, audio visual aids, orthopedic requirements, are all available. This is in the knowledge of public, and managers of such organisations do not go out to collect funds rather aid pours in regularly.
Although the cost of maintenance has increased, any shortfall in the services they provide has never been noticed. Funds collected by the government through Zakat, Fitra and Ushr are also passed on to these institutions.
A few hospitals of international standard with latest equipment, costing billions, have also been established on donations gathered by known personalities.
The style of service has been acknowledged by citizens, and has led people of different trades to act similarly. Singers, actors, players, doctors and other earners of huge incomes have now started announcing donating big amounts for mega projects of welfare.
Now it is time for us to fully exploit the potential of public power towards the achievements of national goals. Being a humble patriotic Pakistani first and Acting President of the apex body of the trading community of Pakistan, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry, I feel myself more of a senior citizen, having long experience in trade and commerce, from all the platforms I like to call upon the younger generation to develop the spirit to do something for the nation and refrain from responding to calls for agitation.