Daily Times

As the plane traverses through the Atlantic towards your future home, the United States, one assumes that you will scratch off the petty local prejudices that you kept dear in Pakistan as harmful and counterproductive. That you will relinquish all other identities and be recognised only as a Pakistani, and not as a Punjabi, Pashtun or muhajir anymore, and not as a Sunni or Shia, and not as a Rajput, Syed, Qureshi, or Jutt. That a neutral and professional environment, thousands of miles away from the political turmoil of homeland, will compel you to look at the ethnic conflicts from an impartial perspective, a view which appreciates the concerns of all parties not just yours. That you will realise how important it is as a part of Pakistani diaspora in the west, to put forward a tolerant image of your country, an impression reflecting that the nation suffers from religious, racial and sectarian tensions not because of lack of political acumen of its people but because of the wrong policies of its leaders.

But as they say one should never assume, not when discussing Pakistan or its citizens, its cricketers or actors, its doctors or generals. From sports to politics, if there is one trait that identifies Pakistanis as a nation, it is their unpredictability. They can terrorise the world by sheltering Osama bin Laden one day, and yet on the following morning, they can surprise the international community by going after extremists in the country, raiding their hideouts, prosecuting their sympathisers. And then stun them again by protesting against the execution of Mumtaz Qadri.

Despite that, I always thought the middle class Pakistani professionals, once provided with an impartial environment, would act differently, their education helping them to stay above the emotional liability, their intelligence leading them to cultivate a culture of forbearance and humbleness. And among all professionals I held high hopes for physicians. Why? Firstly, they are well respected both in the U.S. and Pakistan. Moreover, the nature of their job teaches them how to look under the skin at the similarities of human beings, encouraging them to ignore the extrinsic differences that set them apart. I reckoned that on the basis of that training they would denounce the instinct of disliking people based on their ethnic backgrounds or financial status. That they could understand, firsthand, how they would feel if someone held a prejudice against them for being a Muslim or a non-Caucasian.

But, as it often happens, I was disappointed. Not too long ago, an active member of the All Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) disclosed that the organisation is divided in different camps, not on the basis of ideology, issues or values, not as being liberals or conservatives, but on ethnic grounds alone. Of course, I had to ask around for confirmation. What I found, however, was that the moral decadence did not end at inter-provincial intolerance, but it just started from there.

Not expecting to see the amount of money that was being spent during the presidential elections I was shocked. According to a rough estimate, some candidates spend up to six figures in U.S. dollars for the top spot. Social media is used (read: abused) as a tool to project themselves; professional marketing firms are hired for advertisement, and favours are bought from media to obtain positive reviews. In addition, many candidates offer to pay membership fees of the nonmember physicians to buy their votes, an old practice that has now been accepted as fair game. They donate generously in local chapters of the organisation to influence the associates. To further add to injury, their canvassing methods are horrible. One member told me that the campaign members almost badgered him into voting for their candidate. Poor guy, he was getting daily calls and multiple private Facebook messages.

According to the constitution of the APPNA, the president is elected for one year, and therefore, every year, a new candidate launches his/her campaign. Anyone who has served as the member of the association for three years and has spent one year in the council can run regardless of his/her lack of service to the association. Once the campaign kicks off, the aggressive marketing strategy is put into motion with such force that one candidate temporarily left his practice for a few months to win the elections. Unbelievable!

Because of this trend, which I am sure has plagued the organisation for a while, the APPNA has limited its scope to sponsor some insignificant community projects both in the U.S. and in Pakistan. Do you recall any memorable accomplishment of the APPNA in Pakistan? I guess not. Of course, I do not think it could change the direction of Pakistan, and no one expects them to do that. However, it is also true that its potential is much bigger than installing few water pumps in the country, providing a few books, or arranging pedestal fans in a classroom.

What about the U.S.? It failed here as well. On social issues, it could not raise awareness about Pakistan as done by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for blacks, nor it could get recognised professionally. It did excel in a particular area though, which is holding of music concerts, pretentious dinners, fashion parades and galas. It does a pretty good job in them just like a professional organization that specialises in event management. From my experience, next year, instead of asking Pakistani celebrities to join them in the annual meeting, I recommend they should request the stars to give APPNA a chance to organise their award night.

On an individual level, this tendency unfolds an even grimmer picture, a picture that reminds us that even the combination of best education, a neutral environment and financial stability can not help someone if he/she is bent upon on sticking to his tribal mindset or refuse to think beyond personal aggrandisement.

The writer is a US-based freelance columnist. He tweets at @KaamranHashmi and can be reached at skamranhashmi@gmail.com