Pakistan Link, Commentary, Dr. Ghulam M. Haniff, Posted: Jul 26, 2010

The discovery of lithium and other minerals in Afghanistan next door should be a real bonanza for Pakistan which acts as the entry point for that landlocked nation. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen, not at least in the immediate future. The talents and skills necessary for such a venture is unlikely to be found in Pakistan.

At the moment neither entrepreneurial talent nor the innovative drive is greatly valued, nor even widely understood, in the Islamic Republic. Institutions of higher education for the cultivation of such skills are probably non-existent.

Lithium is a critical mineral used in the manufacture of computers, telephones, television monitors and other high tech electronic gadgetry. It has enormous implications for the national security of any nation. Only the US and a handful of other nations understand the importance of securing access to sources of lithium. Muslims have not given it a thought.

Innovation, whether in products or ideas, is a creative enterprise known in Pakistan mostly through what Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Abdus Salam accomplished. It is an act of coming up with something new. However, in Pakistan, as in most Muslim countries, innovation is defined as “bida,” that is something “forbidden” by the religion. Most people in Pakistan shun “bida” or innovation for the fear that it may be unIslamic.

In point of fact, “bida” refers only to “newness” in matters of beliefs and rituals. It has no bearing on purely secular affairs. Most broadly educated clergy of Islam (ulema) make a distinction between what is in the religious domain and what is in the worldly domain (deen and dunya). That leaves the vast numbers of mullahs among the masses to define the phenomenon of innovation their way.

Despite the absence of skills some representatives from Pakistan should have arrived at the scene of discovery. Reports indicate that none did. No one even contacted Kabul to explore the possibility of staking out a claim.

Pakistan should have taken advantage of the windfall across the border by making a commitment for the future. Ultimately, skills could have been acquired.

Unfortunately, Pakistan is not a country with concerns about the future. The leaders want money in their pockets, here and now.

However, company representatives from faraway lands have poured into Afghanistan to negotiate deals for the long-term exploitation of the resources. China is said to be one of the first ones to arrive and has plans ready for claims in various parts of the country.

Despite enormous natural resources the Muslim World has no plans for their use or exploitation. Indonesia and Turkey may be the notable exceptions. The oil resources of the Arab countries have been in the hands of the Western specialists, with unskilled and semi-skilled labor drawn mostly from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

Large-scale entrepreneurial projects cannot be handled by Muslims, except in Turkey and perhaps in Iran. Mining of lithium is quite likely to be undertaken by one of the major powers or China. Entrepreneurship is an art unknown in Pakistan or in any of the other Muslim country.

Close to two-thirds of the world’s known oil-reserves lie in the Muslim World. However, specialized manpower in that area is hardly a fraction of what is needed. Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest supplier of oil should have the largest pool of petroleum or mining engineers and geologists. But it doesn’t. More such engineers are to be found in countries devoid of oil such as in Japan or South Korea.

Once again education seems to have been the critical variable. Uneducated people cannot be expected to find oil or to produce anything of value. Even in America Muslims are shut-off from the corporate executive suites owing to their substandard education. But Indian Americans have thrived in that environment with names such as Indra Nooyi (CEO of Pepsico) and Vikram Pundit (CEO of Citicorp) and others familiar to Muslim ears.

For many Muslim countries the West remains the major source for their highly skilled manpower needs. This phenomenon of dependency on the former colonial powers is a frequent source of comment in the press.

The Latin American country of Bolivia is the only other place where lithium exists in abundance. The US is trying hard to corner the lithium market in that country. China has had some but its supplies are rapidly dwindling.

One lesson that the Muslim World, including Pakistan, ought to learn from the lithium phenomenon is to provide well-rounded and comprehensive education to the younger generation. It is a matter of national survival and national security needs. A highly skilled manpower pool is the foundation of a modern nation.

Despite gargantuan oil revenues Saudi Arabia still does not have world class educational facilities. However, an educational city is under construction but it will take decades to build a reputation for excellence. While dollars have been rolling in for the past fifty years most of their books on history, culture, religion, language and civilization have been written by Western scholars. Of course, these works bear the imprint of their perspectives and agenda.

That is why Muslims still have not been able to create a narrative of their own and are seen by the rest of the world as a semi-barbaric people. While well into the 21 st century Muslims don’t understand what “narrative” is, what it means and what it stands for. The rest of the world views them as a people who have nothing to be proud of, no discoveries, no products, no ideas of their own and perhaps even standing at the tail end of history.

At some point Muslims will have to start building an economy of their own. And the exploitation of lithium may prove to be of critical value in their overall developmental calculation.