Staff Reporter The middle class, also called the intermediate class in academic lingo, plays an integral role in the overall development of any nation, but does it really anchor a society? Some Pakistani scholars think so. “Across South Asia, the middle class is made up of the socially conservative and right wingers,” says economist and researcher Asad Sayeed. He was flanked by veteran journalist Ghazi Salahuddin and scholar Dr Huma Baqai. They took part in a debate on the third day at Karachi Literary Festival 2020 on Saturday to discuss the importance of middle class involvement in national politics. They were critical of the contemporary Pakistani middle class, which they believe is “schizophrenic”. “Our middle class has always been following the State’s narrative. And that shows how they believe in the narratives,” said Asad Sayeed. “It will take an anti-India and anti-America position just because the State is doing so.” Dr Baqai was of a similar opinion, calling it selfish for “sticking to its personal benefits”. She is the former chairperson of the social sciences department at the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi. “As soon as it becomes an upper-middle class, it forms links with the status quo,” she said. Salahuddin and Dr Huma Baqai compared the middle class to Indian civil society and the role it played in the ongoing riots in Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
