International Breaking News

“The imbalance between the rich and poor is the most fatal ailment of all republics”.In the country, which was formed in the name of Islam and every charter promulgated had equal rights for all strata; the indigents are living a miserable life. There is absolutely no hope for the poor and ultimately they have no asylum anywhere.


This unjust division is really shameful. It’s said that:

“If you’re born poor, it’s not your fault, but if you die poor then you’re reprehensible for that”.

It appears to be a very appealing quotation, but sadly so, it doesn’t apply on Pakistan. A place where justice is nowhere to be seen, where meritocracy doesn’t exist, where clout is utilized for extortion, where there is exploitation of the poor at the hands of the affluent, where life is not what it is generally perceived to be; poor should die for they can’t change their fate in such rusted system. The following quotation fits well on the current scenario of our country:

“Status quo prevails all over where social injustice and exploitation are in full swing”.

Seeing the poor fighting for the victuals of life is a heart rending spectacle. For a man who’s biggest objective is to make his both ends meet can’t have an optimistic view of life. All the flavors of life fail to tickle his taste buds. An empty tummy sees no happiness but food, which is hard to obtain for a lot of people.

According to the latest estimates of the World Bank, almost 40 percent of 107 developing countries are highly exposed to the poverty. Pakistan is ranked among the 43 countries most exposed to poverty risks. Poverty is widespread in Pakistan and is predominantly a rural phenomenon. Nearly two third of our population lives in rural areas. Most of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Many of them lack basic needs such as safe drinking water, primary health care, education and other social services.

A World Bank report titled Sparing lives, better reproductive health for poor women in South Asia has revealed that Pakistans 37.4 percent children under the age of five are malnourished. The South Asia region still has nearly 400 million poor people out of a population of 1.42 billion.

According to Pakistans Planning Commission, poverty rate has jumped from 23.9 to 37.5 percent in the last three years. The commission has estimated that in 2005 there were 35.5 million people living below the poverty line but in 2008 their number increased to over 64 million. Moreover, 40 percent of the urban population lives in slum areas. Reduction in social sector spending is increasing poverty and has reduced the standard of living in the country. High inflation, price hike and shortage of commodities have also added to the problem. It serves as a testament to our macro-economy.

Now with all these scintillating stats; does poor have any life in Pakistan? No they don’t. Government needs to chalk-out an anti-dote to this precarious situation. I will opine that mass scale measures to eliminate the threat of poverty have become an exigency of time. The government should focus on unemployment. Job creation is very necessary. Reforms should also be made in the housing sector to accommodate the homeless. Last but not the least; special attention should be paid on the law and order situation. The more friendly and conducive the atmosphere becomes, more capital will be obtained. This is also help in restoring the business activities and will be useful in reducing poverty.