Development myth.

Byline: Waliya Mirza

THERE is a dire need to demystify the concept of development in Pakistan.

Loosely understood, Pakistan's development sector is the configuration of educational institutions, research centres, think tanks, international bodies and donors that can lead to improvement in welfare indicators. These are community mobilisations with a focus on improving Pakistan's well-being in social domains - income, gender, employment, health, politics, environment, etc.

Over the years, students and graduates have shown interest in pursuing development work. They have heard of names such as USAID, DFID, IMF, etc. and want to work towards improving living conditions in Pakistan through them. For these individuals, such work serves both as a stable career option and a socially responsible commitment. Additionally, there is international pressure on Pakistan to progress in global markets.

The misnomer 'development sector' implies that some or all these bodies work together to complete targets set by private circles or international agencies. In fact, development workers often work in silos, showing loyalty to their organisations and safeguarding company secrets. Having said that, the creation of silos can be partially offset by arranging seminars, conferences and networking events. A strong asset for most community organisations is the signing of MoUs with each other. Perhaps it was the advertisement of these events along with general awareness that created the 'development club'.

However, the myth of development lies in strategic promotions that advertise results and on-ground social impact. Consider claims such as, 'our government scheme changed the lives of a million homeless people' or 'our project launched a solar plant that powered an entire village.' The knowledge of successful social experiments tempt the uninitiated to test the waters in Pakistan's development scene. Here, they come across bureaucratic red tape, unregulated practices and unstable work cultures. The myth of development, therefore, is that while some projects and schemes are successful, this is not the norm. In fact, much development work is underfunded and struggles to stay on course, or even maintain its integrity in the form of a working organisation.

The ability to navigate a minefield of team politics is essential.

Development work, much like the start-up culture, has a low success rate. In Pakistan, one finds lack of clarity regarding objectives, budget...

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