1. The backlash against Dr. Moeed Yusuf offers a case study of the obstacles that Pakistan will face as it attempts to professionalize its bureaucracy. The allegations that Yusuf is unduly influenced by Washington is a projection of Pakistan's own nepotism and sycophancy.
2. The assumption that Yusuf's success in Washington is entangled by a quid pro quo understanding only makes sense if you have existed as a big fish in the small pond of Pakistan's policy world. DC suffers from nepotism too, but merit still plays a role.
3. Instead of asking what a green card holder who returns to Pakistan is beholden to, one might consider what allows the traditional elites of the country to feel secure without other options in a country where ambitious young people see few avenues for upward mobility?
4. The Pakistani army also professionalized its ranks through higher education & merit. @pstanpolitics, @ahsanib, & Adnan Naseemullah wrote a paper on this topic. The civil bureaucracy must follow and with it will come long periods of time living abroad.
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5. Do Pakistan's traditional elites genuinely expect its gifted citizens to obtain PhDs abroad without achieving any kind of permanent residence or professional connections in their host country? What security does the state offer when asking them to relinquish these privileges?
6. A civil servant's exposure abroad opens the door for compromise. But this risk pales in comparison to maintaining the status quo of a bloated civil bureaucracy where advancement is contingent on surname rather than achievement and worldview stops at the gates of the DHA.
7. The backlash against Yusuf clearly transcends alleged hypocrisy by PTI. It represents resistance to a merit-based system that rewards risk-takers.
