Socio-Economic Problems of Pakistan

SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OF PAKISTAN

Outline:

• Introduction
• Problems Faced By Pakistan At The Time Of Inception
• Current Scenario
• Social Problems
i) Poverty ii) Illiteracy iii) Overpopulation iv) Unemployment
v) Child Labour vi) Corruption vii) Poor Social Sector Including Health, Safe Drinking Water, Sanitation And Basic Infrastructure viii) Women Are Not Empowered ix) Human Rights Problem
x) Injustice xi) Sectarianism, Extremism, And Target Killing xii) Absence Of Rule Of Law
• Economic Problems
i) Economic Loss Due To War On Terrorism ii) Energy Crisis iii) Low FDI And Huge Debt Trap iv) Poorly Managed Tax System
v) Low Export And High Import vi) Inflation vii) Influx Of Local People Fom War Ridden Areas And Their Rehabilitation viii) Lack Of Tourism
• Suggestions
i) Ensuring Equal Distribution Of Wealth. ii) Dispensation Of Free And Quick Justice iii) To Curb Corruption At All Levels iv) The Curriculum Of Schools Need Be Reviewed
v) Health Care Be Provided To All Citizens vi) Provision Of Equal Rights To All Citizens vii) Poverty Alleviation Programmes Be Initiated viii) Population Growth Be Controlled ix) New Dams Should Be Built
x) New Industries Be Set Up To Provide Employment.
Conclusion
People are the essential pillar of any country. It is the fundamental duty and responsibility of the country to fulfil the basic needs of its people. Basic needs of man comprises of shelter, food and clothing. When these needs are not fulfilled they bring about problems termed as socio-economic problems. Pakistan has also been suffering from these problems. The real issue is not the presence of these problems in the society. But the extent to which they are being paid attention and solved. When these problems are not met timely and the grievances of the people are not redressed they turn out to be a menace for the country. They assert a negative impact on society. The society deprived of basic necessities of life is ignorant of its obligations towards the country. This results in deviant behaviour, drug abuse, smuggling, corruption, poverty, illiteracy and many other social evils. The country beset with social crises and problems fails to attract foreign investment. Low investment results in economic breakdown and causes decline in export, low MNCs business, tumbling stock market and inflation.

Pakistan has been facing a lot social problems since its inception in 1947. In the start there were the problems of lack of funds, rehabilitation of refugees, poor infrastructure and widespread poverty of masses. Quaid-e-Azam tried his best to solve these problems and get the state machinery working. Owing to his sudden death he could not eradicate these problems completely. Unfortunately, leaders after him did not pay considerable attention towards the solution of various problems. Subsequently, the problems have grown with the passage of time and become social evils.

Pakistan is a developing country and faces all social problems that developing countries face along with political instability that aggravates the problems further. Currently, Pakistan has many challenges to face in the form of social and economic problems.

Poverty has been one of the biggest problems that Pakistan faces today. It is rightly said that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. 70 per cent of the population of Pakistan live in villages. According to an analysis, poverty has increased roughly from 30% to 40% during the past decade. It means that 40 per cent of the country’s population is merely earning their livelihood below the poverty line. In such condition people are deprived of their basic necessities of life. Proper education and medication are becoming distant from them. They are forced to think of their survival only.

Perhaps the greatest loss comes in the field of education. The inadequacy of quality education renders our country incapable of dealing with the challenges of the 21st century. People marred by poverty are unable to afford quality education for their children. In addition, government’s negligence is aggravating the situation further. Despite various steps taken by different governments for the promotion of education, literacy rate lingers at 56% over the decade. Pakistan is spending only a meagre amount of its GDP on this vital sector. Owing to low investment, government run schools are deprived of basic facilities like proper classrooms, water and sanitation facilities, electricity. Private sector is doing a commendable job in this regard. But owing to money making objective of this sector, education has been beyond poor’s reach. The primary completion rate in Pakistan given by UNESCO is 33.8 % in females and 47% in males, which shows that people in the 6th largest country of the world are unable to get the basic education.

Pakistan is facing the dragon of overpopulation. The growth rate of Pakistan is very high and is among the highest in the world. Since 1947, the population has become more than triple. Pakistan is almost touching 180 million mark. Population expansion has been a real issue of concern for all governments. With limited resources it is very difficult to cater to the needs of growing population. There is a great economic disparity among the people. Poor are committing suicides out of hunger while rich are busy in amassing more and more wealth. These social problems directly affect the masses. The massively increasing population has almost outstripped the resources in production, facilities and in job opportunities.

Pakistan is poorly faced with the problem of unemployment. The existing unemployment rate is 15%. Pakistan is confronting cyclical, technical, structural and seasonal unemployment. It is always considered to be killing for an economy. The most horrible part is that it is rising every year which in long term will demonstrate to be hazardous for the economy of Pakistan. It has negative impact on society. It creates frustration and revengeful attitude. It leads to an increase in the incidences of crimes.

Owing to poverty and unemployment, parents instead of sending their children to schools, prefer child labour for them. They make them do so to support their family and use them as earning hands from the early age. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimated in 2005 that there would be 10 to 12 million child workers in Pakistan by 2010-11.But according to an All-Pakistan Labour Force survey, this number has doubled to about 21 million child workers. It shows the gravity of the situation. The main reason is poverty, while the low literacy rate has also contributed to the problem to a large extent. Child labour is a sort of deluge that is draining away our precious talent to be utilized in right place. Child labour pushes them into a bad company and immoral activities such as use of drugs, crime.

Corruption is another huge social problem. Transparency International (TI) has ranked Pakistan 34th most corrupt nation in the world. The menace of corruption has links to a multitude of vices. Its roots are linked to injustice, mistrust, suspicion, extremism and terrorist activities. It creates a sense of insecurity, exacerbates poverty and adds to the misfortune of the vulnerable segments of the society. It also instils a sense of hopelessness and despondency and threatens the strength of good values which have been established over centuries of civilized struggle.

Rising poverty in Pakistan necessitates that 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) be spent on social sector including education, health, safe drinking water, sanitation and basic infrastructure to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. At present, Pakistan spends only three per cent of its GDP on health and education whereas India allocates nine per cent for these sectors. Such a meagre amount which is already insufficient to cater to the needs is further misappropriated. There are less hospitals and medical centres. If there are any, the people are unable to afford their and their children’s health expenses. So the health problems grow unchecked. It is very depressing that basic health facilities are not available to the half of the population.

We have seen phenomenal changes in the world. But the status and fate of women has not changed much in Pakistan. In Pakistan their situation has become worse. It comes as no surprise that we were recently rated as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the way we treat women. More than 60 years after independence, 80% of Pakistan women are still subject to domestic violence. One in three has to endure villainy like rape, honour killing, immolation and acid attacks.

Pakistanis have suffered for decades because their human rights have not been protected in the communities as well the courts. Whether they are women or children, Ahmedis or Christians, Shiites or atheists, the rights of minorities are always threatened. Pakistan still struggles between the secular British and religious Arabic laws and traditions. The violation of human right can easily be attributed to the absence of timely justice to the masses.

Justice delayed is justice denied. Dispensation of timely justice is the core essence of a welfare society. It is the duty of the state to promote justice. But in the case of Pakistan it has always been a day dream for the poor masses. Since the independence judiciary has been captive at the hands of establishment. Weak judiciary has been unable to redress the grievances of the masses. Under such conditions people resort to violent actions and resolve their issues by extreme methods.

Religious differences such as Shia vs. Sunni are further adding fuel to the fire. Religious extremism that took its roots in Pakistan after the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 is proving venomous for Pakistan. This religious extremism took a new shape of terrorism after 9/11. After the incident of 9/11 suicide bombing in Pakistan has become a norm of the day. Target killing is another menace which is claiming hundreds of innocent lives daily.

Owing to poor governance, the government is losing control over law and order situation. When individuals put themselves ahead of institutions, they set a bad example. Suicide attacks, target killing, robbery and other crimes have become norm of the day. And government seems helpless in this regard.

Social problems are interlinked with economic problems. Economic prosperity serves as a backbone for the overall progress of a nation. One thing is common in all developed nations- they are economically sound. When citizens of a country are freed from the worries of earning a livelihood to sustain their lives, they divert their attention to more useful things. They focus on education, improvise healthcare, develop technologies that make life easy and much more. Poor economic condition is the root cause of so many problems that exist in a society. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s economic conditions are pathetic. As if power crises, lack of foreign investment for the development of industrial zones, backward and out-dated technology were not enough, Pakistan’s indulgence in war on terrorism served as a fatal blow to the already crumbling economic state.

Terrorism has emerged as a monster for the world in general and for Pakistan in particular. Pakistan’s involvement in War on Terror has proved a nightmare. The image of Pakistan as a peace loving country has been tarnished. Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives while millions have lost everything they had and are forced to migrate to relatively safer places. This war has destroyed our economy beyond imagination. Terrorism is very closely linked to the declining economic conditions and high rate of illiteracy prevailing in our country. The poor and illiterate become easy prey to the masterminds who can train and use them in whatever they want. Pakistan’s economy has suffered on two accounts: first large amount of money is being used on WoT, and second because we have lost many foreign investors and markets.

Energy crisis has further crippled the already tumbling economy. It has almost jammed the industrial wheel of the country. Owing to frequent outages many industrial units have been closed. Closure of industries has caused a severe blow to economy. Energy starved economy fails to attract foreign investment badly.

Poor economic condition of the country has not only kept the foreign investors away but the local as well. When the conditions for industrial sector are not healthy in the country, the inflow of foreign money to the country is checked causing decline in foreign reserves. Decline in foreign reserves compel the country to seek loans from the other countries. Owing to fragile economy, FDI is shrinking on account of terrorism and political instability. Another major problem is Pakistan’s huge debt and its continued dependence on financial aid.
Moreover, tax system in Pakistan is also inefficient and unsatisfactory. Ratio of direct taxes is more than indirect taxes. Tax evasion is common. The rich are reluctant to pay tax, while the poor are paying tax even on the purchase of a match box.

With unhealthy conditions and decline in foreign reserves, the country is destined to face low export and high import. It is also the case with our industrial sector. Due to inconsistent supply of electricity to industrial sector, our industry fails to give required output. Not to speak of surplus production, our industries are not able to meet the national requirement. The production of goods in lesser quantities has affected export from our industrial sector. This makes our country to import goods, in order to meet the needs of the masses causing inflation.
Inflation provides an important insight on the state of the economy and policies that govern it. Stable inflation not only provides impetus for economic growth, but also helps uplift vulnerable strata of society. Pakistan, in recent years has been in the grip of high inflation, which amongst other things has adversely affected the economic health of the country. The overall Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key indicator of inflation, has swelled by 76% in the last four years, eroding the purchasing power of the people as the overall economy has not performed in line with ever-increasing prices.

Moreover, local people of war-ridden areas are migrating to other areas of Pakistan. Country has seen the largest migration since independence in 1947. These people have left their homes, businesses, possessions and property back home. This large influx of people and their rehabilitation is an economic burden for Pakistan. Unemployment is already prevalent and now the question of providing employment to these migrants has also become a serious concern. This portion of population is contributing nothing worthwhile to the national income yet they have to be benefited from it. This unproductive lot of people is a growing economic problem of Pakistan.
Last but not least, lack of tourism is also a cause of the declining in economy. Northern areas of Pakistan have been a place of great tourist attraction. The beautiful hills, the lush green valleys, shimmering lakes and flowing waterfalls brought many a tourist from all over the world to Pakistan. This contributed to foreign exchange. Tourism Industry was one of the booming industries of Pakistan. Besides attracting foreign exchange, it also provided employment to local people. Also, tourist industry was a source of friendly relations with other countries. Nevertheless, war on terrorism has served as a serious blow to the tourism industry of Pakistan. Local as well as foreign media has projected Pakistan as a dangerous and unsafe country. Its poor law and order situation has alarmed the tourist and thus Northern areas no more receive many tourists.

For Pakistanis to make sure that Pakistan not only survives but also grows and thrives and joins the modern world by becoming a progressive and democratic state, they need to take following steps:

• The gap between the rich and the poor must be decreased by ensuring equal distribution of wealth.
• Dispensation of free and quick justice be ensured by strengthening judiciary.
• There is a sheer need to curb corruption at all levels. The institutions of NAB and FIA should be made more powerful to curb corruption
• The curriculum of schools need be reviewed so that children can receive scientific and secular education in their mother tongue. In addition, there is need to develop critical and creative thinking.
• Health care education and free health care needs be provided to all citizens.
• Provision of equal rights to all citizens especially women and minorities be ensured.
• Poverty alleviation programmes be initiated to reduce poverty and child labour.
• Population growth be controlled by spreading awareness about the advantages of small families among the masses through media.
• Energy crisis must be resolved on priority basis to revitalize the dying economy.
• New dams should be built and new methods of producing electricity should be utilized.
• Youth be equipped with technical education and new industries be set up to provide employment.

There are so many problems in Pakistan. There is only one thing that can help Pakistan in solving all the problems that is the self-improvement of each and every Pakistani. All of us should be patriotic, honest, and hardworking. Everyone should respect the laws of country and obey the laws. Only then we can change our Pakistan's condition. There is a famous saying "God does not change the condition of any country until the people of the country do not improve their selves. “It is true in the case of Pakistan.