Hunza: A paradise of high literacy and gender equality in a remote corner of Pakistan
by PALASH GHOSH
Hunza Valley, Pakistan PHOTO/www.lifestylearena.com
The Hunza Valley, a region in the Gilgit–Baltistan territory of northernmost Pakistan, is renowned not only for its spectacular natural scenery of majestic mountains and glittering lakes but also for the beauty of its people, who enjoy long life expectancies. The rough mountain terrain, clean air and water, an abundance of healthy organic foods like dried apricots and almonds, and relative isolation are believed to have blessed the locals with excellent health and long lives. Indeed, Hunza Valley was reportedly the inspiration for the paradise of “Shangri La” in the book “Lost Horizons” by James Hilton.
But Hunza and its environs are renowned for something else that is quite extraordinary: At least three-quarters of people in the Valley – and virtually all the youths of both genders — can read and write (in a country where about 55 percent of the population is literate, and millions of girls are essentially blocked from attending school). Almost every child in Hunza attends school up to at least the high school level, while many pursue higher studies at colleges in Pakistan and abroad.
Outside of Hunza, education in Pakistan is rather bleak. In fact, Arshad Saeed Khan of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) said Pakistan spends only 2.3 percent of its GNP and 9.9 percent of its total government budget on education (versus figures of 4.5 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively, for India; and 2.1 percent and 14.1 percent for Bangladesh).
Dawn, an English-language Pakistani daily, reported that one of the principal factors behind Hunza’s stupendous literacy figures traces back to the educational advocacy efforts of the Aga Khan III, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah. In the early part of the 20th century, he persuaded the mirs [rulers] of Hunza state to educate their peoples. By 1946, 16 “Diamond Jubilee” schools were established in the Valley, followed by a decision from the Pakistani government to open up public schools in the Northern regions, including Hunza. In 1983, Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, introduced The Academy, a high-quality school (including dormitory facilities) exclusively for girls in Hunza. By the early 1990s, the government created “community schools” in Hunza, including the Al-Amyn Model School in the village of Gulmit, which permitted the students’ families to participate in lessons.
International Business Times for more
What Are India And Pakistan Really Fighting About?
by PALASH GHOSH
For Pakistan, the numbers are extremely grim. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a report earlier this year which declared Pakistan as one of the most “water-stressed” countries in the world, not far from being classified, “water-scarce,” with less than 1,000 cubic meters of water per person per year (the same level as parched Ethiopia), down from 5,000 cubic meters in 1947. India itself is projected to become “water-stressed” by the year 2025 and “water-scarce” by 2050. Due to increased demand and dwindling supplies, Pakistan is drawing too much water from its existing reservoirs, placing the country in grave danger of future shortages. ADB estimated that Pakistan’s water storage capacity — that is, the volume of water it can rely upon in case of an emergency, amounts to a 30-day supply — far lower than the 1000 days that are suggested for nations with similar climates, The Atlantic noted. (For comparison sake, India’s storage capacity is 120 days.)
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Not surprisingly, some extremist groups in Pakistan have exploited the water shortage to upgrade their violent rhetoric against India. Hafiz Saeed, who founded Lakshar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant group that perpetrated the 2008 attacks in Mumbai which killed nearly 170 people, squarely accused the Indian government of committing acts of “water terrorism” to deny Pakistan its own access to the precious natural resource. Michael Kugelman, senior program associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, noted that there is a risk that Pakistani terror groups such as LeT could use water as a pretext to again attack India. “LeT has often threatened to attack India in retaliation for India’s ‘water theft,’” Kugelman said in an interview. “Because of LeT’s ties to the Pakistani security establishment, such a scenario could certainly raise concerns about conflict–and especially if India is led by a more hawkish government [after next spring’s elections] than the present one.”
International business Times for more
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