IN a dialogue recently organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), the focus was on Pakistan’s diversity and how it can be leveraged to promote Pakistan. Almost all the panelists agreed that Pakistan is an amazingly diverse country, yet we have serious problems of intolerance, division, ethnic and sectarian violence. Many panelists contended that not only does the people of Pakistan perpetuate and act out the divisions, but Pakistan’s reputation in the world is of a country mired in terrorism, crime, intolerance and ethnic and religious divisions. Maybe I am just too bullish on Pakistan, but rather than doom and gloom, my talk focused on realities (based on facts) which are contrary to the national and international misperceptions about Pakistan. Let me present my arguments here, away from the hyperbole, and let the readers be the judge.
In the Country Crime Index of 2023, 142 countries were ranked (numbeo.com). This index surveys various aspects related to crime and safety in the cities including; citizens perceptions about level of crime, daytime safety, nighttime safely, drug problem, concerns about mugging, robbery, car theft, break-ins, insults and harassment in public. It also looks at the severity in property and violent crime. Arguably, it is a comprehensive survey of the crime situation in any country. To compare a few countries vis-a-vie Pakistan, CCI ranks France as 36th most dangerous, Malaysia is 46th, USA is 55th, Australia is 76th, India is 77th and Pakistan is 86th. So, our so-called dangerous country is one of the least crime ridden compared to many developed countries which are perceived to be very safe. I usually tell my foreign guests that I can drop you off in the middle of any busy market of any city in Pakistan and they will be delivered back to their place of stay after being pampered with meals and teas. That is the true nature of Pakistan’s safety and hospitality.
Moving on to the International Homicide Ranking, 195 countries were ranked (worldpopulationreview.com). In this index, Russia and USA were high in homicide rate ranking at 53 and 56, while Pakistan was ranked at 81, just ahead of India (90) and Thailand (100). Low numbers meant that the country is closer to the top in murder rates. So, essentially, Pakistan’s homicide rate is much lower than USA, and certainly does not qualify us for the negative perceptions that Pakistan can’t seem to shake off.
It is also a common perception, nationally and internationally, that Pakistan is a terrorism ridden country where murder and mayhem prevails, which also prevents visitors or investors from coming to Pakistan. Admittedly, Pakistan has its share of problems in this area, but the perceptions couldn’t be further from the truth. By some counts, Pakistan encounters 600 – 800 targeted civilian killings per year. Compared to this, the city of Chicago or New York alone encounter 1000 – 2000 murders per year. Concurrently, Pakistan averages 4-5 acts of terrorism per month. In comparison, USA is averaging 1.5 acts of domestic terrorism per day, or 45-50 per month. Hence, USA experiences ten-fold terrorist incidents compared to Pakistan, while its population is barely a quarter more than Pakistan (320 versus 250 million).
Finally, let me draw a comparison between Pakistan and US in the area of intolerance, racial and ethnic division, and religious divisions. In 2023, USA witnessed 3027 anti-black, 831 anti-white, 1832 anti-Jewish and 336 anti-Islamic incidents. Collectively, they add up to 6026 which lead to an average of 16.5 incidents per day. In the same time period, Pakistan experienced around 100 acts of sectarian violence, less than 10 attacks on religious sites, and 329 accusations of blasphemy (75% against Muslims, 20% against Ahmadis and 3.3% against Christians). Pakistan, in total, witnessed around 450 incidents which average 1.2 incidents per day. Some will argue that Pakistan is underreporting the incidents so for good measure, let us quadruple the incidents and we arrive at 4.8 incidents per day. Even so, when we compare the two countries, Pakistan at 4.8 average incidents per day versus USA at 16.5 average incidents, is clearly a much more peaceful and tolerant place than the US.
Hopefully the above comparisons prove that Pakistan is a relatively peaceful and tolerant country compared to many so-called bastions of multi ethnicity and peace. If anyone still wants to argue against this assertion, consider this; despite Pakistan’s weaknesses and perceived intolerance, Pakistan has not had a leader who has been elevated due to hate-mongering and intolerance unlike Modi, Trump, Geert Wilder (Netherlands), Martine Le Pen (France) and Orban (Hungary), to name a few. Admittedly, we have had leaders that have stoked the fires of provincial intolerance to serve their political ends. We only hope that we will end up with leaders who will become informed on the above facts and figures and will be able to defend the erroneous perceptions about Pakistan on the world stage.
—The writer is a former Senior Advisor to the Government.
