Quite Hectic Days

Recently, I’ve been traveling a lot for my formal project: assessing the governance framework of 46 HEIs (universities) in Pakistan. We’re looking at the de jure autonomy of universities (in governance, finance, staffing, academics, and research) versus the de facto reality. Where, like many other sectors, higher education is overregulated.

We’re struggling a lot. Universities are mushrooming (95 in 2002 to 269 in 2024) without any meaningful output, just producing PhDs like rabbits (177 in 2002 to 3489 in 2024). Result: not a single Pakistani university ranks in the global top 350.

I’ve visited different universities. (inter-alia):

Riphah International University, Islamabad – a private HEI. The I-8 campus is small, but with multiple campuses they cater to around 30,000 students. What’s interesting is how deeply Islamic morality is embedded in their institutional values. It’s the only university (out of the 8–9 I’ve visited so far) whose vision and mission are explicitly integrated with Islamic principles. They even have around 10 credit hours dedicated to teaching morality. Quite remarkable in this era of modernity and expediency.

University of Haripur – a “big whale” kind of university with stunning views. In the public sector, it stands out for its lush green terrain. The guest house? Phenomenal and all pro bono, of course. 😊

Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology – based on the German Fachhochschule model (industry + theoretical study). Students are required to complete around 500 hours of industry experience to graduate. Perhaps the only university in Pakistan operating on this model. Their guest house was phenomenal too.

Meanwhile, a brief I authored is out: Pakistan’s Venture Capital Landscape: Navigating Challenges, Seizing Opportunities. In it, I chart the problems in Pakistan’s VC ecosystem and possible ways forward. Read here

I also met a fellow “dead poet” from my community—the Dead Poets Society of Pakistan—Abdullah, a.k.a. Nuwanda, at a cafe called Shugf (translated as “devotion” or “infatuation”). We tried a coffee variant that had been scaled up to intensify its flavor. And of course, given my addiction, it didn’t disturb my sleep.

On the way back to my hometown, Peshawar, I penned a poem. I hope readers might like it.

While talking of the moon, this line keeps echoing in me: Mein Jo Shair Kabhi Hota (song by Mehdi Hassan).

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a silly moon that i was unable to see because of the angle of my seat [1]

i was traveling

to my precious and treasured

city

a typical bus

nothing new

nothing interesting

a person quarreling—

he thought this vehicle

was going towards Lahore

and in silence,

oranges turn up

in your hands with henna patterns everywhere,

tattoos of libido

when i think of you

i want to cry

(maybe due to alignment

of zodiac)

i am fish

it won’t pester anyway

can’t we just go in the deep

iced coffee (not Shireen’s [2] stream but ours)

in the buff and never come back—

by this, we will be

fossilized into another folklore

they would call us

“panic-lovers of the pure land”

a silly moon is saying something to me

but i cannot see it

due to the angle of the seat i am sitting upon

let it enjoy the ephemeral glory

the sunshine would kill it

i am so honored

i am penetrated by a fever

that is insurmountable by any medicine

in this state, i am a slave

and king

at the same time

Note: Please don’t consider this my final version. I’m unable to fully express my feelings right now.

[1] A lovely friend suggested that I look at the moon, but I couldn’t for obvious stated reasons. That sparked the idea to write this.

[2] “Shireen’s stream” comes from the Persian legend Khosrow and Shireen, where Farhad, in love with Shireen, carves a channel through a mountain to bring her water (or milk). It symbolizes devotion, sacrifice, and love that overcomes obstacles.