Land and People and Prevailing

Social Problems of Pakistan

M. UMAR HAYAT ABBASI
Pakistan Geography
 Introduction
 Pakistan emerged as an independent State on the world map on August 14, 1947.
 It is a land of diverse cultures and terrain consisting of four provinces, namely
Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Gilgit Baltistan (de facto area)
and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
 Spread among nine major ecological zones, Pakistan has a diverse array of
landscapes
 Its territory encompassing portions of the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, and Karakorum
mountain ranges makes it home to some of the world’s highest mountains.
 The Pakistani flag is said to have been designed by Syed Amiruddin Kedwali and
was approved by Quaid-e-Azam. Presented by Liaquat Ali Khan before First
Constituent Assembly in its session on August 11, 1947 and was officially adopted.
 The lyrics of the national anthem of Pakistan were written by Abu Al-Asar Hafeez
Jalandhari. Selected in 1954.
 Introduction
 The country has a Parliamentary form of government with two houses. The Lower
hose is the National Assembly with 342 members, including 60 seats reserved for
women who are chosen by the major parties, and 10 for non-Muslims. Each
member serve a five-year term. The Assembly elected its firs female speaker in
2008.
 The Senate has 104 members, each serving a six-year term. One-third of the
senators relinquish their seats every two years.
 Pakistan also has a national emblem or coat of arms. In the middle a circled wreath
jasmine flowers is a shield that has four sections, each of which shows a major
product of the country from when the country created.
 Geography/Physical Features
 Pakistan is the 33rd largest country in terms of area and 5th most populous with a
population of over 210 million.
 It lies at the crossroads of the historical silk route and the meeting point of South
Asia, Central Asia and West Asia and has a land area of 881,913 sq. Km.
 Islamabad meaning ‘Abode of Islam’, which is centrally located, was officially named
the capital of Pakistan in 1960. However, it was formalized in 1963 when the Capital
of the Republic Ordinance was promulgated and the specified area measuring 906
sq km.
 The Country’s total population is estimated to be in the vicinity of 220 million with
95% Muslims and 5% comprising other nationalities including Christians, Hindus,
Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis making it the 5th largest country and the second largest
Muslim country, after Indonesia.
 Karachi (7th largest in the world) is by far the largest city in the country followed by
Lahore (15th largest in the world), Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Hyderabad,
Multan and Peshawar.
 Geography/Physical Features
 Pakistan shares international borders with four countries: China to the north east
(599.100 Km), Afghanistan to the north-west (2611.550 km), Iran to the west
(909.278), and India to the east and south-east (2100.595) km. The Arabian Sea
washes its shores to the south and has a costal area of 1058.940 km.
 The Country’s north is dominated by three great mountain ranges of the
Karakoram, the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush, with five of the world’s 14 highest
peaks over 8000m, 92 peaks over 7000m and the largest non-polar glaciers
(including Baltoro and Concordia which are two of the world’s longest) also located
in the area. The five 0-Thousanders include:
 K-2 8611 Meter
 Nanga Parbat 8125 Meter
 Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) 8068 Meter
 Broad Peak 8047 Meter
 Gasherbrum II 8035 Meter
 Geography/Physical Features
 K-2, the highest point in the country, is called ‘Shagori’ in the local language meaning
‘the King of the Mountains’. It is the second highest next to Mount Everest followed
by Nanga Parbat also called the “Killer Mountain” because it has claimed the lives
of a maximum number of mountaineers.
 The Karakoram watershed forms the north eastern boundary of Pakistan with
China. These mountains also nestle some of the famed ancient trade routes that
branched off from the silk route linking China and Central Asia with South Asia.
 Tirch Mir (7690 Meter) is the highest peak of the Hindu Kush and is located in
Chitral, the northern most region of Pakistan.
 The main range fans westwards into Afghanistan while its southern branches south
of the Kabul River, include Koh-e-Safed and the Sulaiman range that run parallel to
the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. At the southern end of the Sulaiman range are the
Marri and Bugti hills in Baluchistan.
 The low kirthar ranges forms the western boundary of the plain in the province of
Sindh.
 Geography/Physical Features
 The outer ranges of the Himalyan system include the lesser Himalayas and the sub-
Himalayas. The former lie in the northern Hazara and Murree; the later include the
Salt range in the south.
 Besides Mountains the country has plateaus (Baluchistan and Potohar), North of
Salt range the area of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Mianwali districts are known as
Potohar plateau.
 Deserts (Thar and Nara/Rajasthan in Sindh and Thal / Cholistan in Punjab) and the
Arabian Sea that is part of the Indian Ocean.
 The mountains of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border are high enough in the north not
to permit large scale movement. Besides the height, the aridity of the area also
makes movement difficult. A few broad passes, Khyber, Kurram, Tochi, Gomal and
Bolan, furnish the only openings into the sub-continent, which have in history been
negotiated time and again by large migrant populations, invading armies and
conquerors including Alexander the Great.
 Geography/Physical Features
 The Rivers of Pakistan:
 The river system of Pakistan originates from the snow-covered Himalayan and the Karakoram
range. The system comprises mainly five rivers that pass mostly through the Punjab provinces
therefore the name ‘Punjab’.
 Jehlum:
 Nearly 725 Kilometers long and is the tributary of River Chenab. Jehlum originates from the
south-eastern part of Kashmir valley and flows through Srinagar before entering Pakistan. Along
its journey, it is joined by the largest tributary of the Neelam River near Muzaffarabad.
 Sutlej:
 Sutlej flows through historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is
located north of the Vindhya range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east
of the Central Sulaiman Range in Pakistan. Some 550 Km long, Sutlej is also called as the Red
River.
 Chenab:
 The Chandra and Bhaga rivers in the upper Himalayas join to form the Chenab River. Chenab
flows through Jammu and Kashmir. It is then joined by the Jehlum River at Trimmu, a flood control
mechanism near Jhang and on moving further it merges with the Sutlej near Uch Sharif. Chenab
river is nearly 960 km long.
 Geography/Physical Features
 Ravi:
 Ravi river originates in the Himalayas. After it flows through south-west region of Indian Punjab, it
moves along the Indo-Pak border and enters Pakistan and merges with Chenab. River Ravi is
nearly 720 km long. It’s also called The river of Lahore.
 Indus:
 The Indus River is the longest river in Pakistan, originating from the Himalayan region. It is also
the world’s 21st largest river in terms of annual water flow.
 With a total length of 3180 kilometers, it is also Pakistan’s lifeline. Originates from Tibetan plateau
near Late Manasrovar in China. It then run through Jammu and Kashmir, enters the Gilgit-
Baltistan and flows through the entire length of the country and merges with the Arabian Sea.
 The main tributaries of Indus are Astor River, Balram River, Gilgit River, Kabul River, Tanubal River
and the Zanskar River.

 According to Indus Water Treat, control over the three ‘eastern rivers’ – the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej –
was given to India, while control over the three ‘western rivers’ – the Indus, the Chenab and the Jehlum –
To Pakistan.
 Society and Culture
 Urdu is the national language but both Urdu and English are official languages.
 Regional languages include Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Hindko and Saraiki
though several other dialects and spoken too.
 Like it linguistic groups the country is also divided into ethnic groups inter alia
include the Punjabis (48%), Pashtuns (8%), Sindhis (12%), Saraiki (10%),
Balochi (3%), Hindko (2%), Brahui (1%), Burushashki and others (8%).
Each has its own customs, cuisine, traditions and distinct cultural practices and
traditions that one needs to keep in mind when interacting with these diverse
groups.
 There is no caste system in Pakistan although a strong Biradari system or clan
system is prevalent. It is fairly influential.
 Pakistan is the melting-pot of South Asian, Persian, Arabic, Afghani, British, and
Central Asian Cultures. There are over 15 ethnic groups with their languages,
dialects, traditions, cuisines, and dress.
 Society and Culture
 Characteristics of Pakistani Society and Culture:
 Religious Uniformity:
 Language: Urdu is the National language with 75% understandability.
 Literature and Poetry: Sufi Poets
 Dress:
 Multiculturalism:
 Gender Roles:
 Socialization:
 The Mother is the main caregiver for any children.
 The extended family also plays a key role in a child’s socialization.
 Islamic understanding, observing Islamic duties, gender roles
 Food: Mixed India cuisine with some Middle Eastern and Afghan Influence.
 Arts and Architecture: Indus Valley Civilizations, Arabic Calligraphy, Naqashi, handcrafted pottery.
 Natural Resource and Mining
 Pakistan has immense reserves of various minerals and natural resources. Important
minerals found are gypsum, limestone, chormite, iron ore, rock salt, silver, gold, precious
stones, gems, marbles, copper, coal, graphite, sulphur, and silica.
 The Khewra Salt Mine in the Potohar region has the world’s second largest deposits of
pure salt.
 Coal:
 Coal reserves are estimated at 175 billion tons. This would equate to 618 billion barrels
of crude oil. Pakistan’s Coal reserves meet only 11% of its total requirement. In Punjab,
Coal mines are located at Dandot and Makkarwal.
 Natural Gas:
 The SUI located at a distance of about 650 Kilometers from Karachi in Dera Bugti,
Baluchistan, Sui is Pakistan Petroleum Limited’s flagship gas field. As a major production
facility, Sui Gas Field (SGF) hosts the country’s largest gas compressor station and a
purification plant.
 At the time to its discovery, SGF was considered among the largest natural gas fields in
the world with recoverable reserves of around 12 TCF (trillion cubit feet).
 In Pakistan, natural gas was discovered in 1952 at Sui, Baluchistan. In Sindh it was found
at Khairpur, Mazrani, Hundi, Kandhkot and Seri, while in Punjab natural gas is found at
Dhodhak, Pir Koh, Mayyal and Dhullian.
 Natural Resource and Mining
 Mineral Oil:
 The Toot area is one of the oldest oil producing regions in Pakistan with the first oil
well drilled in 1964 when President Ayub Khan encouraged a mineral development
policy.
 It is located approximately 135 km southwest of Islamabad. Mineral Oil is found in
raw form and is purified in oil refineries.
 Only 15% of the total mineral oil requirements of the country is produced in
Pakistan, while the rest is imported.
 In Pakistan, the oil reserves are situated in Dhullian, Kot Mayyal, Attock, Chakwal,
Dhodhak, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu and Potohar Plateau.
 Hydro Power Potential:
 Pakistan is endowed with a hydro potential of approximately 41722 MW, most of
which lies in the KPK, GB, AJ&K.
 However, an abundant hydro potential is still untapped which needs to be
harnessed.
 Natural Resource and Mining
 Major reserve of Copper and Gold in Reko Diq area were discovered in 2006.
 The area has proven estimated reserves of two billion tons of copper and 20
million ounces of gold. According to the current market price, the value of the
deposits has been estimated well over $70 billion. The discovery has ranked Reko
Diq among the world’s top seven copper reserves.
 The KPK accounts for at least 78% of marble production in the country.
 Pakistan is home to some of the finest and purest grades of marble, granite and
slate found anywhere in the world..
 This sector is lagging behind despite huge potential due to interconnected and
cross-cutting issues like poor regulatory framework, insufficient infrastructure at
mines sites, outdated technology installed, semi-skilled labor, low financial support
and lack of marketing.
 Tourism
 Pakistan has burgeoning tourism industry, due to the smorgasbord of culture, people and
landscape it has to offer.
 Ancient civilization ruins of Mehrgarh, Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Taxila, to the hill
stations of Murree, and the Hiking tracks of Shogran and Siri Paaye, all have something to
offer to each type of traveller.
 The Gilgit, Hunza and Chitral valleys are exceptionally beautiful sights to behold, along
with the people here with typical costumes, folk dances, music and sports like Polo and
Buzkashi.
 Therefore, a variety of activities and attractions exist for foreign tourists in Pakistan.
These range from adventure tourism, cultural tourism, religious tourism, sports tourism,
coastal tourism, eco-tourism, to recreation tourism. But Pakistan as compared to other
countries of world recently ignoring it.
 The following seven sites are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List:
 Mohenjodaro
 Taxila
 Buddhist ruins of Takht-i-Bahi
 Lahore Fort
 Shalamar Garden
 Historical Monuments at Makli Hills, Thatta
 Rohtas Fort
 Tourism
 Unfortunately, Pakistan is at 83rd position out of 117Countries on Travel and
Tourism Competitiveness Index as per a report compiled by the World Economic
Forum.
 The key reasons for this are stated to be lack of prioritization of tourism sector,
safety and security, human resources, tourist services infrastructure, enabling
environment, travel and tourism policy, air transport infrastructure and environment
sustainability.
 In order to promote international tourism in the country, the
government needs to:
 Equip Pakistan embassies abroad with detailed information on tourism in the country in the form of
leaflets/booklets separately on each and every place that has the potential to attract tourists. They must
also be provided with maps.
 A reliable system of online booking and payments should be devised for internal travel, hotel booking and
vehicle rentals, etc.
 Arrange exposure visits of private tour operators from abroad at state expense so that they become
advocates of Pakistan’ tourism potential in their respective countries.
 Proper and adequate advertisement in the foreign print and electronic media and billboards in the world’s
prominent cities in countries from where tourists are likely to visit Pakistan.
 Tourism
 In order to promote international tourism in the country, the government
needs to:
 Introduce catchy slogan. If Malaysia can be “Truly Asia” and India can be “Incredible”, surely Pakistan can be
“Majestic” or “Fantastic”.
 Improvement in the security, and law and order situation.
 Establish a tourism police force as done by several countries like Egypt. (A separate / exclusive police force has
been recruited for Kartarpur. The Government of KPK has also take steps to initiate such force for that province
but the need is to have it installed at all tourist attractions to give the incoming tourists the necessary confidence).
 Introduce life insurance coverage for the duration of the tourist’s stay in Pakistan.
 Arrange for hiring of services of experienced English-speaking guides.
 Development of infrastructure including roads, resorts, hotels of all classes, motels, tourist huts, car/jeep rentals, etc.
 Build cottages with cooking facilities for tourists who want to stay for longer period.
 More sites need to be developed and mad easily accessible. This includes rehabilitation of historical places.
 Develop the 1058 km long coastline in the country’s south by creating resorts and hotels.
 Organized hiking/trekking trips, water rafting, para-gliding, hot air ballooning, skiing and snowboarding, controlled
hunting and mountain / desert jeep rallies.
 The government should establish National Tourism Authority and give it complete powers to make policies and
implement them.
 Agriculture Sector of Pakistan
 Twenty six percent of Pakistan’s land area has the potential for intensive agricultural use.
 It is watered by one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. By comparison, it irrigates
three times more acres than in Russia.
 The most important crops are cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, maize, sorghum, millets, tobacco,
pulses, oil seeds, barley, fruits and vegetables.
 Agricultural sector is indispensable to the country’s economic growth, food security,
employment generation and poverty alleviation particularly, at the rural level.
 It contributes 22% to the GDP and provides employment to around 42% of the labor force.
Around 65-70% of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood. Yet it has remained
a backward sector of the economy.
 Agriculture growth rate has been constrained by shrinking arable land, climate change, water
shortages, and large –scale population and labor shift from rural to urban areas.
 Increasing agriculture productivity, therefore, requires adoption of new approaches. This
sector can play a pivotal role to spur economic growth. However, it has remained prone to
several challenges like climate change, variance in temperature, water shortage, and changes in
pattern of precipitation along with increase in input prices.
 Agriculture Sector of Pakistan
 Importance of Agriculture Sector of Pakistan:
1. Increasing GDP of the Economy
2. Foreign Exchange Earner
3. Sustaining the Population
4. Source of Employment
5. Increasing the Tax Revenue of the Government
6. Raw Material for Industrial Sector
7. Infrastructure Development
 Major Problems of Agriculture Sector:
1. Limited Cultivable Area
2. Slow Growth of Allied Products
3. Uneconomical Land Holdings
4. Old Methods of Production
5. Inadequate Supply of Agricultural Inputs
6. Lack of Irrigation Facilities
7. Inadequate Agricultural Research
8. Defective Land Tenure System
9. Low Cropping Intensity
10. Improper Crop Rotation
 Agriculture Sector of Pakistan
 Measures to Remove These Problems:
1. Supply of Agriculture Credit
2. Water Logging and Salinity Control
3. Construction of Hydro Projects
4. Provision of HYV seed (High Yielding Variety)
5. Mechanization
6. Agricultural Research
7. Tax Concessions
8. Training of Farmers

 According to different sources, Pakistan is one of the world’s largest producers and suppliers
of food and crops: Chickpea (3rd), apricot (6th), Cotton (4th), Milk (4th), date palm (5th),
Sugarcane (5th), Onion (7th), Citrus (6th), Mango (4th), Wheat (7th), and Rice (10th).
 In 2022, agriculture contributed around 22.25% to the GDP of Pakistan.
 Agriculture Sector of Pakistan
 Pakistan is a water stressed country and, therefore, efficient use of water is important for
provision of safe drinking water, sustainable agriculture and industrial growth.
 The agriculture sector, core of the national economy and food security, is highly vulnerable to
changes in water availability. In the wake of the imminent water crisis, inclusive and
comprehensive planning is imperative.
 One of the major objectives of the National Water Policy is to enhance the water shortage
capacity of Pakistan by adding 10 MAF. At present, the water storage capacity of Pakistan is
around 13.68 MAF for 30 days.
 To overcome water security and to enhance storage capacity, three major storage dams
(Diamer Bhasha, Mohmand and Dasu Dams) along with 518 medium and small dams with a
total capacity of around 9.5 MAF have been initiated throughout the country.
 Only about 4% of land is covered with forests.
 Being aware of this, one of the early decisions that Imran Khan took upon becoming Prime
Minister, was to launch his Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Program. It was inaugurated by the Prime
Minister on September 2, 2018 during “Plant for Pakistan Day”. It is a four year (2019-2023)
project of the government with a total cost of Rs125.18 billion. The Project is being
implemented across Pakistan by the Ministry of Climate Change along with provincial and
territorial forest and wildlife departments.
 Industrial Sector of Pakistan
 Out of 955 industrial units operating in the British India, Pakistan got only 34 industries, i.e. 4%
of the total industries established in the subcontinent the rest were located in India.
 Pakistan’s Industrial sector accounts for approximately 19.82% of GDP and plays a vital role in
the economic development.
 Pakistan had been identified by world economists as one of the Next Eleven countries as
having a high potential of becoming, along with the BRICS countries, among the world’s largest
economies in the 21st century.
 Textiles are Pakistan’s main export, but it also has industries that include food processing,
fertilizers, and shrimp.
 Manufacturing is the largest of Pakistan’s industrial sectors, accounting approximately 12.79%
of GDP. The Manufacturing sub-sector is further divided in three components including large-
scale manufacturing with a share of 79.6% in the manufacturing sector, small scale
manufacturing share is 13.8% in the manufacturing sector while slaughtering contributes 6.5%
in the manufacturing.
 Other major sectors in industries include cement, fertilizer, edible oil, sugar, steel, tobacco,
chemicals, machinery, food processing and medical instruments, primarily surgical.
 Industrial Sector of Pakistan
 Causes of Industrial Backwardness in Pakistan:
1. The Policy of British Rulers
2. Lack of Technical Knowledge
3. Disputable Industrial strategy
4. Lack of Mineral Resources
5. Lack of investment and Low savings
6. Lack of Infrastructure
7. Inflationary Pressures
8. Lack of Industrial Research
9. Economic Sanctions
10. Global Recession
11. Adverse Balance of Payment
12. Political Instability
13. Corruption

 Pakistan is facing new competitors (Bangladesh,Vietnam and Turkey) in industrial sector. Though we
cannot avoid competition but we can always stay ahead of them by reforming our strategies and
educating our entrepreneur so as to move one step forward in every aspect.
 Industrial Sector of Pakistan
 Measures or Suggestions to Improve Industrial Sector:
1. Allocation of funds
2. Increase in Capital
3. Saving and Investments
4. Promotion of technical know-how
5. Tax concessions
6. Availability of raw material
7. Credit facilities
8. Expansion of markets
9. Increase in foreign investment
10. Political stability
11. Promotion of technical education
12. Solution of power shortage
13. Industrial Policy
 Economy of Pakistan
 Since independence in 1947, the country has tried several economic models and has carried
out several experiments inn economic restructuring.
 In the beginning, Pakistan’s economy was largely based on private enterprise. However, during
the first half of the 1970s, under the PPP government of Bhutto, significant sectors of the
economy were nationalized including financial services, manufacturing, and transportation.
 Further changes were made in 1980s during Gen. Zia’s era; specifically, an “Islamic” economy
was introduced, which made practices such as charging interest on loans (riba) illegal and
made some traditional religious practices including payment of Zakat and Ushr mandatory.
 The state began to privatize large sector of the nationalized economy during the 1990s.
 The country is now operating a mixed economy in which state-owned enterprises account
for a large portion of GDP.
 Economy, which was primarily agricultural at the time of independence, has become
considerably diversified.
 Agriculture is no longer the largest sector and contributes roughly one-fifth of GDP (it has
been outpaced by the growth of non-agricultural sectors), while manufacturing provides about
one-sixth.
 Economy of Pakistan
 Trade and services contribute the largest component of the economy and have grown
considerably.
 In terms of the structure of its economy, Pakistan resembles the middle-income countries of
East and Southeast Asia more than the poorer countries of the Indian subcontinent.
 Barring, FY 2019-20, 2020-21 when COVID-19 effected the country like the rest of the world,
Pakistan has maintained a sustained and fairly steady annual growth rate since independence.
 At the same time, there has been relentless increase in population, so, despite real growth in
the economy, output per capita has risen only slowly. This slow growth in per capita income
has not coincided a high incidence of absolute poverty that has been considerably smaller in
Pakistan than in other South Asian countries.
 Nonetheless, a significant proportion of the population (39%) lives below the poverty line, and
the relative prosperity of the industrialized regions around Karachi and Lahore contrasts
sharply with the poverty of Punjab’s barani areas, the semi-arid Baluchistan, and KPK.
 Pakistan has a variety of Banks – the State Bank of Pakistan (established in 1948) has overall
control of the banking sector, state-run banks, private-commercial (scheduled) banks, and
foreign banks.
 Economy of Pakistan
 Major imports consist of machinery, chemicals and chemical products, crude oil, refined
petroleum, food and edible oils, and motor vehicles. Pakistan’s most important trading
partners are the US, China, EU, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
 Pakistan’s economic freedom score is now 49.4, down from 54.8, making its economy the
152nd freest, down from 1335th, in the 2021 index.
 Remittances from workers abroad constitute a large (though extremely difficult to measure)
source of revenue. Much of this is transferred through unofficial channels – either by hand or
through the services of the traditional system of money exchanges known as hawala and
Hundi.
 Yet, according to the State Bank of Pakistan remittances recorded a growth of 29% during FY
2021.
 The country’s economy is the 24th largest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity
(PPP) and 42nd in terms of nominal gross domestic product. It has a GDP per capita of $1471
which ranks 161st in the world.
 The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) has been in double digits for the last couple of years. It
affects the poorest segment of the population. This segment has been facing acute economic
challenges.
 Remittances and Economic AID
 Remittances of Pakistanis living abroad has played an important role in Pakistan’s economy and
foreign exchange reserves.
 Remittances from overseas Pakistanis during FY 2020-21 registered the fastest growth in the
past 18 years and rose to a historic all-time high $29.4 billion thus playing a leading role in
boosting the country’s foreign exchange reserves and improving its capacity to make
international payment of imports and foreign debt payments.
 According to State Bank of Pakistan remittances registered a substantial growth of 29% in FY
2021.
 As with many developing countries, foreign aid is a key source of income in Pakistan. Foreign
aid has been one of the main sources of funds for the Pakistani economy.
 The country receives economic aid from several sources as loans and grants. The IMF, World
Bank and ADB, etc. provided long-term loans. It also receives bilateral aid from developed and
oil-rich countries.
 Aid inflow to the country is strongly connected to the geo-political interests of the donor
countries. The increase in aid inflow in the 1960s was because of Pakistan’s signing of mutual
defence assistance agreements with the US during the Cold War era.
 Remittances and Economic AID
 Aid inflow of 1980s can be visualized in the perspective of the war in Afghanistan. In mid-
1980s, the inflows of foreign aid touched the $2.0 billion mark which boosted the credit
worthiness of Pakistan.
 In 1990s economic assistance was cut off by the US other multilateral donors when the
Afghan war ended. It dropped down further after the nuclear tests in 1998 and the military
take-over in 1999.
 Things changed dramatically after 9/11. When Pakistan joined ‘War against Terrorism”, the
inflows of aid increased by up to seven times. Between 2002-11, the US Congress approved
$18 billion in military and economic aid. However, the Pakistan treasury only received $8,647
billion in direct financial payments.
 The Kerry Luger Bill, passed in 2009 after democratic elections in Pakistan, had proposed $1.5
billion in annual assistance to Pakistan. However, due to problems and differences in the
bilateral relationship over issues such as drones, India, and the Raymond Davis incident, the full
amount was not transferred.
 It is reported that between 1951 and 2011, the US obligated nearly $67 billion in aid to
Pakistan. But as soon as the Trump became the President things went sour for Pakistan. He
started accusing Pakistan of harbouring terrorists and betraying US.
 Remittances and Economic AID
 The position today is that due to enormously large accumulated foreign debts, most of the aid
is being used for debt servicing.
 The CPEC is being developed with a contribution of mainly concessionary loans from China
under their Belt and Road initiatives.
 Regardless of the huge amounts of aid, if one were to look at the performance of the
country’s social sectors one would observe that the people are still having no access to basic
needs like education and health facilities. The incoming aid and reasonable growth rate have
completely failed to change the living standard of the common man.
 On the other hand, foreign aid lowers the morale of a nation as it begets a sense of inferiority.
The dependency on foreign aid doesn’t induce the government to work for the country’s
progress.
 Foreign aid is an anathema to innovation and production in any country because it makes
political leadership dormant.
 The Ministry of Economic Affairs stated that in the aftermath of COVID-19 and its
persistence in the country, the disbursements of project financing from development partners
dried up during the last quarter of fiscal year 2020.
 Social Problems
 The Pakistani society is faced with a myriad of social problems the major ones of which
include poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, overpopulation, gender discrimination, and poor
health care conditions.
 Poverty:
 Poverty has a very close relationship with population because it is always determined vis-à-vis
the population of any given country.
 In Pakistan increase in population is 2.4% Which is rated as one of the highest in the world.
 It is estimated that 39% of the people live below the poverty line as per the World Bank’s
definition of poverty, which is based on a poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day.
 The rising poverty is inter alia the result of mismanagement of available resources, wrong
government policies and poor governance, decline in the GDP growth rate, burgeoning debt
burden, declining competitiveness of the Pakistan economy in the increasingly skill-based
global economy, environmental degradation, lack of awareness about family planning methods,
unemployment, low level of education and skills, low level of human development, disability or
ill health, living in a remote or disadvantaged community, inflation and slow economic growth.
 Social Problems
 Poverty:
 Sustained economic growth is the most powerful instrument for reducing poverty and
improving the quality of life for people in developing countries.
 Overtime, various governments have launched schemes aimed at poverty alleviation. These
include social security schemes, Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (1976), micro
financing, Khushali Bank (established in 2000), Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (founded
1997) to help the poor through loans, now working with the World Bank, establishment of the
Zakat and Ushr Department in 1980, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal set up as and autonomous
corporate body in 1992, and the Benazir Income Support Program launched in 2008.
 Poverty is also cited as the primary reason for Pakistan’s high rate of Child Labor.
 According to World Bank estimates, poverty has increased from 4.4% to 5.4% in 2020, as over
two million more people have fallen below the poverty line. The Bank estimated that the
poverty ration in Pakistan stood at 39.2% IN FY 2020-21 and is projected to remain at 39.2%
in FY 2021-22 and might come down to 37.9% by FY 2022-23
 Social Problems
 Poverty:
 The following social problems that are basically related to poverty and concern 90%
of the people, need to be overcome by the government on priority basis:
 Increase in Per Capita Income
 Eliminate Food Poverty
 Eliminate malnourishment for children under five years of age.
 Reduce adult illiteracy
 Increase higher educational base, primarily information technology and make it
science driven, so that enrolment in institutions of higher education grows.
 Have universal access to health services leading to increase in life expectancy.
 Ensure clean water for all
 Ensure clean air for all
 Social Problems
 Population:
 On September 7, 2021, the total population of Pakistan, based on Worldometer’s
elaboration of the latest UN data, was 225,994,216. This is equivalent to 2.83% of the
global population making Pakistan the 5th most populated country. It is expected to rise
to 400 million by mid-century. The population density in Pakistan is 287 per sq. km.
 Some of the reasons that account for Pakistan being an overpopulated country include:
 Lack of women empowerment
 Early Marriages
 Illiteracy
 Decreasing mortality rate
 Polygamy
 Preference for male children
 Lack of family planning
 Strong religious beliefs that focus on expanding the family
 Technology advancement in fertility treatment
 It takes in a lot of refugees, mainly from Afghanistan
 Social Problems
 Education:
 Education plays a significant role in the socio-economic and cultural development of a country.
It is a social instrument through which humans can guide their destiny and shape their future.
 “The Foundation of every state is the education of its youth” (Diogenes Laertius)
 According to the Economic survey of Pakistan, 2020-21, the literacy rate of the population (10
years and above) is stagnant at 60%. Province wise analysis suggests that Punjab has the
highest literacy rate, with 64% followed by Sindh with 58%, KPK (excluding merged area) with
55%, KPK (including merged areas) with 53% and Baluchistan with 46%.
 The dilemma of education also occurs because of low human resource in the country. For
instance, according to the latest UNDP’s Human Development Report, released in mid-
December 2019, Pakistan has fallen to the bottom of the list of countries with medium human
development and is now ranked 152nd out of 189 nations.
 According to educational indicators, only Afghanistan lags behind Pakistan in the context of
regional comparison while all other regional countries have slow improvement in HDI in
comparison to Pakistan.
 Social Problems
 Education:
 Overall education condition is based on key performance indicators such as enrolment rates,
number of institutes and teachers which experienced marginal improvement.
 In order to increase the literacy rate, education has to be made free and compulsory’
emphasis must be placed on female education; the budget of education must be given a proper
boost (only around 2.4% of the GDP is earmarked towards education in each budget. This has
to be increased substantially.
 COVID-19 has not only created a health crisis in the country but also adversely affected
other sectors including the education sector.
 According to UNICEF, Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school
children with around 23 million children aged 5-16 not attending school, representing 44
percent of the total population in this age group.
 The division of the educational system into a private Westernized section and a state-run
Islamized section has thus caused social tensions and has exacerbated the problem of “brain
drain”.
 The Madaris usually cater to the poorest segments of society and have the greatest
divergence with contemporary economies. The syllabus taught in these seminaries is grounded
in religious biases and portrays a narrow-minded worldview.
 Social Problems
 Education:
 Some other flaws in the education system of the country are:
 Emphasis on theoretical (not practical) education
 Outdated syllabuses
 No teaching quality; no training for teachers
 Politics in educational institutions
 No uniformity in syllabuses
 Limited fields offered
 No career counseling
 Education made a profitable business
 No checks and balances
 Cramming
 Either no, or limited, security.

 The 18th Amendment of the Constitution, approved in 2010 devolved responsibility for education delivery
and spending to provincial governments.
 Social Problems
 Health and Sanitation:
 Reportedly over 80 million of the population is living below poverty line. These people don’t
have any access to basic facilities like food and water nor are proper healthcare facilities
available to them.
 Unfortunately, like education, health too has never been a top priority for any government,
especially for people living in rural areas.
 Infant mortality rate is around 70 per 1000 births. One factor responsible for this is that
because of poverty an expectant mother remains undernourished and, therefore, gives birth
to a very weak infant whose chances of survival are very limited.
 In addition to this, individuals avoid using government provided medical facilities because of
their “poor quality” and “unreliability”. A survey of government hospital suggested that the
behavior of hospital administration and the irresponsible attitudes of healthcare profession
deters people from using state and public hospitals for treatment.
 In reference to immunization indicators, Pakistan is being recognized as one of the three
remaining countries where polio is still endemic.
 Low immunization is exposing children to a series of health risks and deaths, which is likely to
have serious implications on their productivity.
 Social Problems
 The Health issues that need immediate attention are:
 Tuberculosis, Hepatitis A, B and C, Ischemic heart diseases, Stroke, Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS,
Malaria, Dengue fever.

 There are many challenges to improving the healthcare system in Pakistan. The Key challenges
include health sector corruption, a growing national population, and continued low literacy
rate.
 According to recent Transparency International report, Pakistan ranked 117 out of 180
countries and its corruption score was 32/100 (0 means most corrupt and 100 means highly
clean).
 Fundamental health indicators to some extent are improving but the pace of progress is very
slow. It is working on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has launched and
upgraded various health program.
 In collaboration with provincial governments, it has started the Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP) a
landmark and flagship healthcare and social protection initiative, (previously known as Prime
Minister’s Natioanl Health Progam).
 The goal is to improve the health status of the population, especially the poor, and to reduce
poverty through a reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure on health care.