Asif Basit, 2 August 2007

on Across Continents, exchange of letters between Charlotte Wiedemann and Ghazala Irfan

Dear Editor,

What inspires me to write these lines is the very interesting discussion between Charlotte Wiedemann and Ghazala Irfan.

Responding to Charlotte's astonishment about the two extremes that can be notices in the women of Pakistan, Ghazala has particularly mentioned two factors:

1. Education
2. Uneven distribution of wealth (hence lack of education in the poor)

Although I agree with Ghazala's opinion but would like to add a few words.

It is not much different in the West when it comes to the gulf between the 'haves' and 'have nots', but the actual difference is that in the West, there exists a policy in education.

The system of education in Pakistan is infected by double standards when it comes to curriculum. Even in the west, some children go to independent schools to get Elite standard of education, while the majority manages only to go the public sector, state run schools; but they are taught same facts about same things. Just as 2+2 remains the same for all social classes, so does a socio-moral issue.

In Pakistan (or South East Asia I should be saying) Two plus two remains the same for the poor as for the Elite, but when it comes to socio-moral issues, what they are told, differs. Islam's teachings about a girl in quest of knowledge and a career is different for pupils of a school in the villages of the North Western province (what still haunt Charolette) as compared to an independent school in the posh area of Gulberg or Defence or Clifton in the major cities of Pakistan (where Gahazala happens to be a resident of).

This is just one example, to pick from a vast range. It is the same with educating about underage marriages, underage pregnancies, opposite gender interaction, role in society.

Marx, Engels and alot more tried bridging the gulf between the wealthy and the poor, but not much seems to have happened. Trying to fix the double standard in education will prove be what you call Qantara (the bridge).

Asif Basit, UK