‘Pakistanis have potential to turn country around’

Daily Times, May 14, 2005
Guest In Town: ‘Pakistanis have potential to turn country around’

LAHORE: Veteran educationist, political philosopher and author Dr Carl Wheeless returned to Pakistan from the US in 2005 after about 35 years to find Pakistan stuck in the same political and constitutional quagmire, with disappointing educational standards, rising fundamentalism and waning cultural values.

However, the 86-year old Forman Christian (FC) College teacher believes that the real strength and treasure of Pakistan is its people who have the potential to turn around the country’s fortunes. Dr Wheeless served as the head of FC College’s Political Science Department from 1957-70. He also served as the college’s Academic Dean of Arts.

“The change in these 35 years is overpowering,” said the professor, who taught political science to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Jehangir Tareen and had President Pervez Musharraf as one of his admirers during his teaching days.

“Cooking gas (Sui gas as it is known in Pakistan) had still not reached Lahore in those days and we had to burn firewood, but now I can see mobile phones in the hands of grandmothers,” he said.

Irresponsibility, lack of punctuality, lack of creativity and politicisation and the nationalisation of institutions were the factors responsible for the decline in the standards of education in Pakistan, he added.

“Nowadays, all we see is the taking and exchanging of notes. Teachers don’t come to class prepared and the quality of students I see today is not satisfactory at all,” said Dr Wheeless, who used to take about 20 hours to prepare for a lecture and its following debate.

“Moreover, religion is used as an excuse not to do work here,” he said.

Dr Wheeless has vivid memories of meeting President Musharraf last year in Islamabad. “I found President Musharraf a man who could take the country out of the difficult political situation. Rising fundamentalism and the war on terrorism are the main challenges the country faces and he (Musharraf) seems to have it in him to tackle these questions. I can compare him to former US presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson, though according to President Musharraf he is not as aggressive as President Jackson was,” the political commentator added.

“During the meeting, I asked the president if he was frightened during the assassination attempts on him in December 2003, and the president said he did not have time to be frightened because all that happened was so quick,” Dr Wheeless said. “About Osama Bin Laden, President Musharraf told me that it was a case of two ‘negatives’. To kill Osama is like making him a martyr to capture him alive in Pakistan is even worse,” he added.

Recalling the student life of Pakistan Muslim League leaders Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Dr Wheeless said both were very polite and did not have any airs about them. Academically, though, they were not at the top of the class, he added. Dr Wheeless also praised Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi for inviting him to Pakistan and asking him (Wheeless) to stay with him, saying it was very polite.

About US President George W Bush’s war on terrorism, Dr Wheeless said it was the worst blunder President Bush could have made. “Going to war against Iraq was callous and arrogant on part of the US administration. The administration has squandered whatever goodwill 9/11 had generated and now the US has been left without a friend in the world,” he said, adding that it was important to distinguish between the American people and the US administration. George Bush won because rich conservatives voted for him and the poor, African-Americans and liberals did not turn out to vote, he added.

The West viewed Pakistan as Islamist because the country was the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, he said. “Though its ignorant on part of the people to associate Pakistan with Islamic fundamentalism, as Islam doesn’t teach fundamentalism or terrorism, but when the people see a country’s name written as an Islamic republic, they fall for it,” he added.

Ending on an optimist note, he said, “I am a great believer and admirer of the strengths of the people of Pakistan and my message to the people of Pakistan is treat us (Americans) as friends and equals.”

Dr Wheeless’s career has spanned over 65 years as a political science doctor and a father of three. He has served in the US and in various parts of the world looking after educational and research work.

He did his Graduate Fellowship from the University of Tennessee and completed the Fulbright Fellowship from the University of Ankara. He won the Foy Distinguished Teaching Award and LE Moody Academic and Services Award from High Point University.

Dr Wheeless, who also served as an intelligence specialist at the office of Navy Intelligence in Washington DC, has interviewed several illustrious personalities including Gamal Nasser, King Hussein, George W Bush, Jimmy Carter, Mother Teresa, James Garfield, Grover Cleveland and numerous other leaders. mohammad rizwan