RAWALPINDI: **Waseem Ahmed busily prepares pakoras in Rawalpindi’s bustling Raja Bazaar on a hot day.
**
Dressed neatly in a shirt and trousers, he looks slightly out of place – which is only natural, considering that he is an engineer by profession. Despite being educated and qualified, Waseem simply cannot manage to find a decent job these days. He seems to have fallen through the cracks of the system, and is disheartened and disillusioned because he feels his efforts to educate himself have amounted to nothing.
“I’ve applied to so many places. I have yet to hear back from any of them,” said Waseem. “Wherever I go, I am asked to bribe people [to gain employment].” “What’s the point of being educated?” he asks. “If this is the kind of situation an educated person will face after he graduates, I don’t think there is any need for people to spend money in order to educate their children.” Waseem studied at the Rawalpindi Polytechnic Institute. His mother, Nasreen, recounts how proud Waseem’s father was when his son graduated.
Waseem’s father has since passed away. “I always envisioned a bright future for my son,” said Nasreen. “I want him to be a good human being, I want him to do good work. But fate and poverty have ensured that he will not get a decent job.” Economist Dr Zafar Moeen says Pakistan’s unemployment rate is said to be around 5.5 per cent, but the reality is very different. “According to estimates that are used by foreign countries, if an under-developed state has a certain statistic, you multiply that by four to get a more accurate number.” “This means that if Pakistan claims its unemployment rate is around 5 per cent, about 20 per cent of the labour force is likely to be unemployed,” he said.
There are many factors that have led to increasing unemployment in Pakistan, including load shedding and general insecurity. Waseem is of the opinion that if the government cannot provide young people with jobs, then it should at the very least develop schemes through which the youth can earn a living. Until then, Waseem will continue to fry pakoras on the roadside, in hope for a better future.
*Published in the Express Tribune, May 18th, 2010.
Re: Engineer by profession, pakora-vendor by trade
I agree, at least he hasnt given up and is making an honest living. Hey you neve rknow. There was an educated guy in our Sialkot neighborhood selling Rooh Afza and some snack in the local bazaar. It was a big hit and eventually he made a good living off that cart and then got a little hut shop....and now he is making a good living due to his customers loyalty.
Re: Engineer by profession, pakora-vendor by trade
Point of being educated is that you can do same job with efficiency and make a big thing out of a small venture while an uneducated person would never think out of the box and will die making pakora and owning one thela and one karahi.
He is an engineer and I am sure he would be doing a nice job at it. When there is a will there is a way. Who knows one day he might end up setting up a factory selling pakora mix , and a pakora making machine for industrialized countries where everything is done by machines.
It is said about owner of a big food industry of Karachi that he started selling jalaibi on a thela by the foot path of one of Karachi's busy roads , many years ago The rest is history. Why a degree has to be a golden passport to a nice job , why can't a degree be a golden passport to being a successful businessman or entrepreneur ?
It has nothing to do with being ashamed. He and his family worked hard for his education and now he is unable to earn a decent living. He sounded so defeated and disappointed...it truly is sad.
Pakistani people and Govt are more concerned about the arbitrary things like blasphemy laws and what not than real issues.
Resident mullahs of GS should be thankful for living in Western societies where they are very conveniently reaping the benefits of its social system.
Re: Engineer by profession, pakora-vendor by trade
I want pakora. :(
bebo:
[quote]
Pakistani people and Govt are more concerned about the arbitrary things like blasphemy laws and what not than real issues.
[/quote]
So true.
You know what the problem is? Pakistani people have NEVER seen good days. So they don't know what it is like to live worry free.
In the US when economy starts going bad then everybody starts worrying, and try to get back on tract, so that they could continue with a good luxurious life. They always keep an eye of jobless number.
On the other hand, Pakistanis can not even imagine that it is possible to find a job right after coming out of college, provided that ample jobs are available in the market. So we Pakistanis have submitted to the fate that economy will remain bad, and jobs will remain scarce. That's what we expect. So there is no reaction anywhere in the country when unemployment goes high and people sleep hungry at night.
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“Wherever I go, I am asked to bribe people [to gain employment].”
[/quote]
He seems to be interested in govt job only. I have never seen/ heard a private company asking for bribes for employment.
[quote]
Waseem studied at the Rawalpindi Polytechnic Institute.
[/quote]
He seems to be a diploma holder Not exactly an engineer.