Pakistan Deserves Bigger Problems

While the World Is Solving Tomorrow's Problems, Why Are We Still Fighting Yesterday's?

There is something deeply uncomfortable about watching the world move forward while Pakistan remains trapped in conversations that should have ended decades ago.

Young person sitting thinking what is going on

Scientists are developing technologies capable of detecting diseases before a child is born. Artificial intelligence can complete in seconds tasks that once required hours or days. Rockets are being developed not merely to reach space, but to make repeated space travel possible.

And in Pakistan?

A change in fuel prices can dominate the national conversation.
Electricity disappearing for hours can still be part of ordinary life.
Gas availability can become a household concern.
Parents worry about whether their children are actually receiving an education rather than simply attending a school.
Families worry about whether quality medical treatment will be available when someone becomes seriously ill.
Citizens ask whether laws will actually protect them when they need protection.

These aren't the problems of tomorrow. These are yesterday's problems.

And perhaps the most dangerous thing isn't that Pakistan still faces them. It is that we may be learning to live with them.

When Dysfunction Becomes "Normal"

Spend enough time around a problem and eventually people stop asking why it exists. They begin asking how to survive it.

No electricity? Buy a generator, UPS or solar system—if you can afford one.

No gas? Find another way to cook or heat your home.

Poor public education? Pay for private school, if you can afford it.

Healthcare inadequate? Find a private hospital again, if you can afford it.

Weak public services? Find a connection, middleman or workaround.

Eventually, the citizen becomes responsible for privately replacing the institutions their taxes and government were supposed to provide. And that creates an enormous divide.

Those with money can purchase alternatives. Those without money simply suffer the failure.

Pakistan's electricity challenges are not imaginary. In 2026, the World Bank described longstanding grid instability and transmission bottlenecks that contribute to frequent outages, higher costs and lost economic opportunities.

Education and health indicators tell another part of the story. The World Bank reports significant gaps in Pakistan's human-capital outcomes and says that more than 20 million children were estimated to be out of school before COVID-19 and the 2022 floods.

These aren't small administrative inconveniences. They shape generations.

We Need to Talk About Governance Too

Then there is corruption.

Transparency International's latest country information gives Pakistan a score of 28 out of 100 on its Corruption Perceptions Index and ranks it 136th among 182 countries. The index measures perceived public-sector corruption, so it should not be confused with a literal measurement of every corrupt act but it remains an important international indicator of institutional confidence.

young person sitting looking at two different worlds

Corruption isn't merely somebody taking money under a table. When institutions become vulnerable to corruption, favouritism or political influence, the consequences eventually appear everywhere: public services, infrastructure, education, policing, investment and people's trust in the state.

And then there is the rule of law.

Real law enforcement does not mean silencing criticism. Strong institutions should be capable of hearing uncomfortable questions, investigating wrongdoing, applying laws consistently and protecting the rights of ordinary citizens.

A country becomes stronger when institutions can be questioned not when questions themselves become threatening.

I Say This Because Pakistan Matters to Me

Some people interpret criticism of Pakistan as hostility toward Pakistan. I see it differently.

My heart genuinely hurts watching a country with enormous human potential spend so much of its energy struggling with basic problems. I've lived and worked in Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Canada. One thing living abroad teaches you is that no country is perfect.

Every society has political arguments.
Every economy has pressures.
Every government makes mistakes.

But there is a fundamental difference between debating how to improve a functioning public service and debating whether that basic service will be available at all.

That difference matters.

Pakistan's young people are capable of competing anywhere in the world.

Give them quality education.
Give entrepreneurs reliable infrastructure.
Give businesses predictable rules.
Give citizens institutions they can trust.
Give talented people reasons to build their futures at home.

Then see what they create.