‘Revolution’ is a term used rather loosely lately. From a regime change in Bangladesh to a green initiative claiming to transform agriculture in Pakistan, so many big and small changes have had the moniker of ‘revolution’ attached to them that it has almost become a cliche.
A majority of development practitioners and NGO professionals also tend to call their contribution to society as ‘revolutionary’. A Marxist definition of ‘revolution’ would require a change in the ownership of the means of production in society before any political or social change could qualify as such. Many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America have had military coups that their juntas touted as revolutions. In Pakistan, perhaps the first such example was the military takeover of the government under the command of General Ayub Khan which he called a ‘revolution’.
Irrespective of any right or wrong definitions of this word, there are examples of little transformations that take place in society under the guidance of individuals who make extraordinary efforts for social change rather than personal gain. There have been many such initiatives in Pakistan that have played a crucial role in bringing about changes in society but not many people know about them at the national level. One reason may be a lack of interest in such initiatives in the mainstream media that prefer political stories over any stories of the common people.
Now Fayyaz Baqir, Mahnoor Zaman and Maryam Hussain have compiled a book of interviews with socially committed activists and professionals who have contributed to social development in one way or another. ‘Silent Revolution in Pakistan: From Othering to Belonging’ is a book spanning over 350 pages that the Knowledge Executive has recently published. Fayyaz Baqir has taught development practice at the School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, whereas Mahnoor Zaman is the president of McGill International Development Studies Students’ Association. Maryam Hussain is a visiting lecturer at the Karakoram International University in Gilgit.
The book is the brainchild of Fayyaz Baqir who approached civil society leaders so that they could share their stories of accomplishments and the challenges they faced. It is a thought-provoking book that describes the development practices of outstanding individuals who had a certain vision for themselves and for the area they were working in. Many community-based development practices go unnoticed by a larger audience in Pakistan, resulting in gross ignorance about the success stories that could inspire more people to take up similar challenges. If they remain hidden, no inspiration is likely to come from them.
The compilers have divided the book into several topics such as civil society, education, environment, health, justice and governance, market and state, poverty alleviation, water & sanitation, and wellbeing. The interviews of the selected development actors show that, despite an overall despondency in society, some activists prefer to lead from the frontlines and by doing so they build trust in the communities they work for. Working with marginalised local communities, these leaders have been able to foster solidarity over the past decades, especially in the 21st century which otherwise witnessed unprecedented extremism and violence in the country.
The narratives of these community leaders convey clear messages of the transformative power that each community holds, provided the development initiatives make sense to the community members. These leaders have been able to offer an inclusive spirit rather than following an exclusive agenda that many faith-based organisations follow by excluding the ‘other’. Essentially, this process of cultivating a sense of belonging plays the most significant role in community transformations. A major problem with a host of donor-funded initiatives that fail is a lack of long-term planning and a near absence of sustainable outcomes.
Perhaps it is safe to say that a majority of the donor-funded projects that fail to deliver adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. They tend to be more interested in repeated ‘goal settings’ and a near-perpetual revision of project documents that are never complete. The best aspect of these interviews is that none of these community leaders promised any miracles to the communities they worked with. Rather than reproducing a predefined development agenda, the leaders here offered a different set of agendas that were more aligned with the local communities than with anything coming from the so-called Global North.
The missions that these leaders espoused centred on an enlightening practice that the local people could associate with. The book introduces its readers to individuals who have been working inconspicuously and their work has largely remained undocumented. The stories presented here are easy to read and accessible to an average readership who may feel daunted by any academic discussions so prevalent in the development sector the world over. One recurring feature in nearly all interviews is that the spirit of belonging is pervasive throughout, and all leaders have advocated for this spirit.
The approach that these community leaders adopted was both creative and pragmatic in that it engaged not only local communities but local governments as well. They have advocated for working with the system rather than antagonising the officials who control the strings of the bureaucracy working at the district and sub-district levels. Another distinguishing feature of these community leaders is that they did not rely on development aid from rich donors. They preferred to mobilise local resources and opened up access to public accounts and social services which were available.
Of the over two dozen interviews included in the book, most are worth reading. Some of the most prominent case studies are of the author Rumana Hussain, Dr Abdul Bari of the Indus Hospital, Arif Hasan of the Urban Resource Centre, Hafeez Arain of the Lodhran Pilot Project, Mukhtar Ahmed Ali of the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Fauzia Saeed, Zubair Bhatti, Jameel Yusuf, Zia Awan, Dr Khalid Suhail, Shama Khan of the SOS Children Village, Seema Aziz of CARE Pakistan and Mehnaz Mehar of Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO).
One of the most inspiring stories is of Dr Abdul Bari, a Dow graduate, who co-founded the Indus Hospital as the country’s first free paperless health facility. In 2017, it expanded to become the Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) that is now one of the largest healthcare systems in Pakistan, with 13 hospitals across Sindh and Punjab. Dr Bari is a role model in the health sector in the country as he began his journey as the project director of the first voluntary blood bank in the country the students of Dow Medical College founded in 1982 when Bari was still a freshman.
The book does not only include interviews with some big names such as Bari and Arif Hasan. It also contains stories of some little-known individuals such as Mehnaz Mahar coming from a family with no educational background in Shikarpur. She began her journey with the SRSO in 2009 and overcame immense challenges to uplift her community. She formed a women’s organisation focusing on savings, health and cleanliness. Her organisation eventually expanded to 180 women across nine organisations. Through the community investment fund and income-generating grants, she encouraged women to invest in livestock to improve their financial standing.
Arif Hasan in his story narrates how he managed to raise his voice on urban challenges in both the Global North and South. He has contributed immensely to people-friendly architecture, community development, and social research in Pakistan. He recalls his association with Akhtar Hameed Khan and Parween Rahman at the Orangi Pilot Project which has inspired many replications. Interestingly, we find Akhtar Hameed Khan repeatedly in several interviews as he was one of the pioneering and most respected development leaders who has inspired at least two generations of development professionals in the country and abroad.
‘Silent Revolution’ is a book that is informative and instructive – a must-read for anyone interested in people’s initiatives for social development.
The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. He tweets/posts NaazirMahmood and can be reached at: mnazir1964yahoo.co.uk