Occidentosis and indigenous culture of Pakistan

Western nations and ideas have influenced Pakistan’s development policy-making processes. As a new state, Pakistan faced many problems regarding the integration of ethnically diverse populations and the settlement of migrants. To make welfare policies that would develop unprivileged communities and address their needs, Pakistan looked up to western nation-states, particularly in two ways. First, Pakistan was struggling financially and it depended on foreign aid. Second, Pakistan inherited the legacy of the Britishers (Saif).

The Indian government act of 1935 was made as the premise of the constitution. The civil bureaucracy that aids in policy-making and implements policy follows the structure of western style democracy (Islam, 1989). Post-colonial policies of Pakistan did not consider the idea of decolonization (Sohail, 2015). Decolonization as explained by Mantz (2019) is the process of shifting policies away from the interests of colonizers towards the interest of indigenous culture while also taking into account the decades of development that happened during the colonial era. At the grass root level, the people of South Asia had been mentally under influence of western hegemony as they deemed the west as superior. Western literature was introduced in schools and colleges (Shier, 2016).

Western superiority is still prevalent in Pakistan and can be seen in education curricula, liberal economic policies, the demand for international degrees, using English as an official language, and US-Pak relations. According to UNESCO, about 59,784 Pakistani students are studying abroad (UNESCO, 2019). The post-colonialism is one segment of western influence; the other is still prevalent as often linked with “dependency theory”.

Dependency theory, too, explains Pakistan’s minimal development since independence. Pakistan did not inherit sufficient industries during the partition so its economy relied on agricultural produce. The West saw this as an opportunity and imported much of the raw materials, processed and exported them. Compared to India, its partition counterpart, Pakistan did not have protectionist policies.

In order to address the needs of the population of the “welfare” state it had to import more than its exports. Pakistan had to import the processed materials in bulk with heavy expenses. Pakistan was a market of “consumerism” (Ahmed, 1974). The dependency theory emphasizes capitalist practices and their repercussions on underdeveloped countries or the Third world. The Pakistani economy is not only dependent on foreign aid and cash inflows but also on the developmental literature to support development policy-making decisions (Zaman, 2017). According to research by Cummings (2017), only 9% of authors of development literature are from the global south. The development literature is dominated by the west. But does the west analyzes the cultural values and needs when proposing development policies? Are neoliberalism and capitalism the end goal? In Pakistan Islamic values construct the constitution and the constitution shapes policies so how can the idea of a free market and liberalism be integrated within economic policies while keeping Islamic values intact? There are so many questions that the Pakistani government needs to address but unfortunately, Pakistani scholars have not been able to produce literature to answer these questions (Zaman, 2017).

International Organizations and NGOs play a very crucial role in shaping the policies of underdeveloped countries. Pakistan as a member of the United Nations and various economic organizations such as the world bank and IMF has to align its foreign and economic policies with the organization’s interests and standards. Birdsall, Malik & Vaishnav (2005) in their report on “world bank in Pakistan from 1990 to 2003” have identified the role of the world bank in reducing poverty. They claim that even though the world bank has emphasized poverty alleviation and improved economic conditions by proposing policies, little to no change has occurred. The report asks an evident question; why Pakistan did not progress even though its exemplary geography, colonial legacy bureaucracy, and world-class academic graduates? The answer is found in many developmental studies literature that critiques western style development as “binary”.

The imposition of western ideas onto underdeveloped countries through the UN or other international organizations only raises questions about eurocentrism and does little to develop the third world (Puchala, 2005). Cultures, identities, and languages are often ignored in policy-making processes that fail at the implementation level. Similarly, Pakistani policies include Sustainable development goals in the objectives of its development policies. The indicators of targets are challenging and do not account for unprecedented situations. The UN framework of SDGs provides ends but not means.

The western hegemony interferes in policy-making through government officials and parliament members. Many policies in Pakistan have political agendas rather than a vision of development and welfare. Political parties and leaders announce welfare packages and policy changes in the name of their parties to win popularity and so are favored by the public in the next elections. The politicians of Pakistan are known to serve the western hegemony and often introduce policy practices that are in the interest of western nations. The relations between the west and politicians can be explained in various ways.

First, the ruling elite class of Pakistan often graduates from top-ranking universities in the US, UK, and Europe (McCartney, 2011). Studying the political literature in the west often presents a particular discourse and creates this mindset of North-south global. North is “labelled” as super powers, progressive, liberal, and developed while the south is labeled as underdeveloped, backward, conservative, and “poor” (Eyben, 2013). When graduate goes back to their countries, they often discuss the literature of the North and wants to replicate the policies in the south. The type of policies proposed sparks debate regarding development discourse. Second, political parties are under constant pressure from the US to align the nation’s policies with the interests of the west (Tahir-Kheli, 1997). Parties have no option but to do so in order to maintain their regime and stay in power (Shoukat, 2020).
Pakistan needs to realize that its development is hampered by the mirroring of western style developmental policies. As a welfare state, it should prioritize the needs of its people and celebrate its culture. Strong institutions and leadership can help reach its goal.

Bibliography:

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