Poverty in Pakistan
[1] In September 2021, the government stated that 22% percent of its population lives below the national poverty line[2] set at Rs.
[4] The declining trend in poverty as seen in the country during the 1970s and 1980s was reversed in the 1990s by poor federal policies and rampant corruption.
[7] According to a report submitted by Ministry of Planning and Development in the National Assembly of Pakistan, about 24.3% Pakistani lived below the poverty line which translates into 55 million people.
[14] AidData cites the World Bank and states that overall "Pakistan has done well in converting economic growth into poverty reduction.
NWFP remains steeped in tribal culture, though the biggest Pahan city is Soviet invasion of neighboring Afghanistan is intact and according to Western reports supported the Taliban regime.
[23] "Vulnerability" in this case stands for the underlying susceptibility of economically deprived people to fall into poverty as a result of exogenous random shocks.
Since coping strategies for vulnerable households depend primarily on their sources of income, exogenous shocks can increase reliance on non-agricultural wages.
[25] Due to this economic vulnerability, a large portion of Pakistan’s population is unable to access or qualify for credit and loans through traditional banking institutions.
Also, the failure by the state to provide adequate law and order in many parts of the country is a factor in the rise of vulnerability of the poor.
[28][29] By the end of the 1990s, the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country's social and economic status resources for development emerged as Pakistan's foremost developmental problem.
Corruption and political instabilities such as the insurgency in Balochistan and decade long armed conflict with the Taliban in Waziristan region resulted in reduction of business confidence, deterioration of economic growth, reduced public expenditure, poor delivery of public services, and undermining of the rule of law.
[30] The perceived security threat on the border with India has dominated Pakistan's culture and has led to the domination of military in politics, excessive spending on defense at the expense of social sectors,[31][32][33] and the erosion of law and order, in conjunction with several implementations of martial law and approximately four coup d'états in the past fifty years.
Development priorities are determined not by potential beneficiaries but by the bureaucracy and a political elite which may or may not be in touch with the needs of the citizens.
Political instability and macroeconomic imbalances have been reflected in poor creditworthiness ratings, even compared to other countries of similar income levels, with resulting capital flight and lower foreign direct investment inflows.
[37] In addition, Pakistan's major cities and urban centres are home to an estimated 1.2 million street children.
The law and order problem worsens their condition as boys and girls are fair game to others who would force them into stealing, scavenging and smuggling to survive.
[42] Haroon also alluded to was evidence that landowners had allowed embankments to burst, leading to water flowing away from their land.
