Adil Najam
This photograph was published in the Daily Times today (28 June, 2006). Nothing special about the picture, but the caption is amazing:
Pakistan Agricultural Research Council workers raise their hands to protest against no promotion being allowed in the last 25 years.
Could this be true? No promotions in the last 25 years?
Dear Readers,
While All Things Pakistan has remained alive and online, it has been dormant since June 11, 2011 - when, on the blog's 5th anniversary, we decided that it was time to move on. We have been heartened by your messages and the fact that a steady traffic has continued to enjoy the archived content on ATP. While the blog itself will remain dormant, we are now beginning to add occasional (but infrequent) new material by the original authors of the blog, mostly to archive what they may now publish elsewhere. We will also be updating older posts to make sure that new readers who stumble onto this site still find it useful.
We hope you will continue to find ATP a useful venue to reflect upon and express your Pakistaniat. - Editors
Thanks Hamza. I did not do that. I will follow up on this. This makes it much bigger. The tragedy is that 30 years ago Pakistan spent a lot of money getting Agriculture PhDs for lots and lots of people — just like we are now doing for IT and other sciences. And the ag. scientists came back and delivered–more than any other type of scientists ever have for Pakistan… what they delivered was the green revolution and food self-sufficiency…. and now, this is what we do with this…. makes one wonder whether the folks being now treated to loads of easy money for PhDs in other areas are ultimately going to be treated the same way!
This one really makes my blood boil!
I read a related story in today’s Dawn.
http://www.dawn.com/2006/06/29/nat9.htm
According to the article, about 50 scientists holding Phd’s have left their positions at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council and migrated to Canada where they work at Gas stations and fast food restaurants. Their reasons being “no promotions in the last 25 years”. It’s a really sad state of affairs that we’re losing so many of our best educated people like this….
Actually none of these guys look like they have worked for 25 years!
I somehow doubt that no ne has been promoted at all for 25 years. Does that mean they keep inducting new people, because people have to retire too. Positions become vacant.
Fascinating. I am reminded of a wonderful book by the blunt&honest CEO of John Hancock, “Career Warfare”. In there, he describes an important lesson for being succesful: that if a person feels stuck in a position and not moving ahead and learning more and progressing IN career development, then they should immediately do something drastic about it – such as quitting and finding a different job. How would he ever be able to comprehend the state of mind of someone who has seen no light at the end of the tunnel for 25 years?