Pakistanis and Indians are the same, not!

You will be hard-pressed not to find an Indian professor in STEM departments of the world’s top universities like MIT, Harvard, and Stanford. These include both men and women on top of their fields. However, Pakistani professors in the world’s top universities are few and far between.

From CEOs of top tech firms like Microsoft and Google to executives, entrepreneurs and partners in top VC firms in Silicon Valley, you’ll see the Indian diaspora actively shaping the future. Although a few Pakistanis are also to be found in these elite circles, the sheer number of Indians in leadership roles dwarfs the number of Pakistani tech leaders.

One wonders why especially when both the countries obtained freedom at the same time? Of course the Indian population is about five times the population of Pakistan; however, the current divergence in representation is much wider than which could be explained away by the difference in the population size alone. One wonders why?

To me, as a Pakistani-American working in Silicon Valley for about two decades, there are following four key reasons:

1. Intellectual humility.
2. The pursuit of excellence from an early age.
3. Focus on generating economic value.
4. National pride and empathy towards people from the homeland.

Let me explain.

Firstly, intellectual humility means looking for continuous improvement in one’s abilities regardless of one’s current level of knowledge. This results in a constant learning mindset which is absolutely critical for success in this rapidly changing world. This also resulted in the inability of Pakistani households to evolve their family structure which predominantly comprises a male breadwinner supporting a housewife and multiple children. Another aspect of humility manifests in the style of living where Indians tend to live a simpler life and Pakistanis tend to focus energy on impressing others by living beyond means.

Secondly, from an early age, Indians push their children towards excellence. This relentless focus results in an uncanny drive to never settle for mediocrity, and this drive continues as these kids grow up. This is seen in the observation that lot of STEM-related competitions up to the high school level are now won by Indian-American kids. In addition, Pakistani families have their kids educate for finding suitable employment so not many pursue advanced graduate level studies (Masters or PhDs). Indians on the other hand, go for the highest education level and try to be at the top of their field of endeavor. Indians are not focused on the short term.

Thirdly, Indians do not shy away from focusing their energy in generating economic value and building wealth. Pakistanis, in general, are not trained to have this focus, and in some families, the pursuit of wealth is even considered derogatory. It is also linked with the structure of the family where single earner continues to support a large family which has a significant impact on wealth accumulation over the course of a lifetime.

And finally, Indians are Indians first, then anything else. There is a sense of national pride in Indians that is severely lacking in Pakistanis. Pakistanis, as soon as they get American nationality, start thinking of themselves as Gora American which results in them not uplifting other Pakistanis. If an Indian attains a higher position in a multi-national organization, you’ll see many more Indians join his/her group in a short span. On the other hand, if a Pakistani attains the same spot, you are not likely to see any other Pakistanis join that group any time soon.

One of the main reasons for this divergent mindset has to do with the history of how Pakistan came into being. Pakistan was founded on the principle of division, not cohesion. Dividing the nation on the basis of religion, overlooking the cultural and ethnic bondages formed over the course of many millennia. On the other hand, Indians continued their national pride after being liberated from British Raj. Once the nation was created, this trend of division continued in Pakistan and manifested in the form of division on the basis of ethnicity and religious beliefs. On the one hand, Bengalies, Beharies, Sindhis, Punjabis, Balochis, Pashtun, and Mohajirs continued to value their ethnicity over their nationality, and on the other hand, Sunnis, Shias, Barelvis, Deobandis, and other sects continued to see people of other beliefs as inferior to them. This lack of national pride resulted in finding differences in other Pakistanis rather than seeing them as fellow brethren.

To be clear, there are many Pakistanis who possess these four qualities as well as there are many Indians who do not. However, as a nation, which Pakistan really isn’t, we don’t.

My purpose in highlighting these points is to help us ponder at a deeper level and recognize our shortcomings and ask ourselves:

Who we are?

What do we stand for?

And what do we want to be in the future?

We will never be able to improve our situation unless we have the courage to recognize our current state and take ownership of our predicament!

Time is running out…

P.S. I am open to hearing your perspectives whether you agree or disagree with my point of view.