Socio Economic Problems
of Pakistan
The most beautiful moment in the life of humans is when someone of their own
blood calls them ‘mama’ or ‘papa’. Parents want to provide the newborn with the
best of everything. He is pampered, protected and taken care of. The blissful
period of childhood soon gets over, and the little human infant grows up to be
an adult ready to face the challenges of the world he was born in. He sees
around him with a hope of finding the same perfection in everything which his
parents had provided him with. In no time, he realizes that the Utopian concept
of a perfect world should be confined to the fictional Island created by Thomas
More in his widely renowned novel only. That Utopia was far from reality and had
nothing to do with the world around us. It’s a world abound with countless
problems- social, economic, legal, political, spiritual and the list goes on.
Certain social and economic conditions become a menace for the society when they
start asserting negative influence on the society. Usually those social needs
which persist in a society for long period of time without being fulfilled owing
to restrained budgetary scenarios, they turn into socio-economic problems. The
major problems of a society are linked with the providence of basic necessities
of life to the people making up the society. If the basic needs of man- shelter,
food and clothing are not fulfilled, the deprivation of these needs gradually
transform into different forms of social menaces. In the context of Pakistan,
owing to the fact that it is a developing nation, there is no wonder that it is
engulfed with a number of social and economical problems. The real issue is not
the presence of these problems in society because, as stated earlier, there is
no concept of an ideal society in the world. Every country in the world has its
own set of socio-economic problems. The main issue is the extent and intensity
of the socio-economic problems of Pakistan which have soared to alarming levels.
I will discuss some major social and economic problems that are of serious
concern for social scientists and political economists.
A. Social Problems
Pakistan has been facing a lot of 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 but
due to his sudden death, he could not eradicate these problems completely.
Subsequent governments didn’t pay considerable attention towards solution of
various social problems and thus they grew with the passage of time and became
social evils.
At present the gravest problem that Pakistan is facing is its precarious law and
order condition. Terrorism has become a headache for federation and a nightmare
for public. Government has been helpless in eradicating terrorism despite
beefing up security in metropolitan cities. Public seeks answer to the question
that what is their fault for which they are being punished by the terrorists?
People have become numerical figures, blown up in numbers every now and then.
Terrorists have not spared any place. Bazars, mosques, educational institutes,
offices, hotels- you name it and the place is not safe any more.
Besides terrorism there are other social problems which are older and more
widespread. The biggest of these problems is poverty. 70% population of Pakistan
lives in villages. Most of them don’t have access to adequate basic needs of
life. They are struggling for bread and butter. A large chunk of population
lives below poverty line. They live in miserable conditions. Lack of proper
food, clothing and shelter, poor sanitation, unsafe and sometimes contaminated
drinking water are just some of their many problems. Poverty itself gives rise
to various other social problems. It deprives children of poor people to access
education and healthcare. A sense of deprivation manifests itself in form of
various crimes. That is why every now and then we read crime stories in
newspapers that are characterized by lower orders of society who adopt illegal
channels to get the financial prosperity which they can not achieve otherwise.
Illiteracy is yet an other problem of Pakistan. The literacy rate lingers on 56%
and ironically it also includes those people who can read and write their name
in Urdu. Over the decades, despite decreasing, illiteracy rate in Pakistan has
shown an upward trend. Not only that but enrollment ratio of students at primary
level has shown a decreasing trend. The fact that 50 percent of children do not
complete their primary education testifies this fact. Uneducated adults
contribute negligibly to the national exchequer. Despite spending millions on
it, government has failed to achieve literacy rates comparable to other
countries in South Asia. Private sector is doing commendable job for the
promotion of educational culture in Pakistan, but its main objective is
money-making. Schools and colleges are opened as a business prospect and thus
many of them lack quality.
Corruption is another huge social problem. According to latest report of
Transparency International, Pakistan has been ranked at 42nd number among the
most corrupt nations of the world. From clerical staff to higher offices and
bureaucrats, all are involved in corruption of one kind or the other. Corruption
in government departments is so much deep-rooted that a common concept prevails
that the system doesn’t let honest people to work peacefully. There is a lack of
accountability due to which wealthy people and those in power are sure that they
can’t be held responsible for their deeds. So they keep on looting the national
treasures and find ways to legalize their black-money. Many corrupt people don’t
even bother to do that.
Unemployment is also regarded as a major social problem. Major portion of
Pakistan’s population consists of youth and a large number of young people who
have the ability and are willing to work are unemployed. Currently rate of
unemployment as per official resources is 7.4% but according to some private
estimates the arte of unemployment is 12%. There are many reasons of
unemployment like influx of machinery that has replaced manpower, lack of new
industries and defective education system. But the impacts of unemployment are
more serious and dangerous. People who don’t find work here migrate to other
countries with better prospects. Also, people tired of making both ends meet due
to unemployment indulge in nefarious activities and ratio of crimes increases.
Child labour is widespread in Pakistan. Whether in bigger cities or in small
villages, we find innocent malnourished children employed in various forms of
labour. They are working as welders, mechanics, plumbers, electricians and in
industries like carpet-weaving, glass and football making. Meager wages are paid
to these children and no facilities for education are provided. Media and NGOs
have always condemned child labour. In past, some countries refused to import
those goods from Pakistan in whose making children were employed. But despite
all these factors, due to growing inflation and poverty, parents are bound to
send their children to work to light their stoves.
These are just few of the many social problems Pakistan is facing today.
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 amassing more and more
wealth. These social problems directly affect the masses. Apart from these there
are several economic problems which have broken the backbone of national
treasury.
B. 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.
Result is that all our important industries that once served as an important
contributor to the national GDP have been closed down. Sugar, cement and shoe
industry is on its downfall while textile industry is breathing its last.
Foreign investors are not ready to setup their businesses in Pakistan. They have
their own set of problems which include painful and lengthy procedure of getting
licenses and work permits in Pakistan, power crises, terrorism and declining
exports. Multinational Companies are reluctant to open their offices and
franchises in Pakistan. More than 70 MNCs have already packed up their business
from Pakistan.
Stock Exchanges also depict a true picture of economic meltdown. Instable
political system, dictatorship in its worse form and non-effective democracy
badly affect the rates of stocks listed on the three stock exchanges of
Pakistan. During this year, many times Karachi Stock Exchange has plunged to its
lowest point in the history of Pakistan. Local as well as foreign investors are
hesitant of investing large sums of money in stock exchange in fear of incurring
unexpected loss. Stock exchanges showed very poor performance throughout 2008.
Situation was so precarious that government had to freeze the market during last
quarter of 2008. Also, recovery state of stocks is alarming. Earlier when stock
market used to plunge, it would recover in few days or weeks. Now share prices
take a nose-dive and take considerable time to generate profits.
Rate of inflation was never a two-digit figure in Pakistan, but in recent years
it has seen an unprecedented increase. Prices of all consumer products in
general and food products in particular are rocket high. Core inflation soared
to 18.85% in first quarter of year 2009 until SBP took steps to curb inflation
through tight monetary policy. Cost of production increased due to various
factors. International increase in oil prices and Pakistan’s internal
unfavourable business conditions are two important factors responsible for high
rates of inflation. Consumer Price Index (CPI) as well as Wholesale Price Index
(WPI) is at all-time high. In contrast, purchasing power of masses is at an
all-time low.
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 form 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.
Due to war on terror, 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.
C. Remedies
Successive governments have taken steps to solve various socio-economic
problems. But these problems are so deep-rooted that they have not been
successful in putting an end to these problems. The problem lies in the fact
that government focuses on one factor and ignores the others related to it. For
example, much emphasis is laid on beefing up security in big cities in wake of
terrorism. But nothing serious has been done to seal the unlawful entrance of
arms from across the border. Acids and explosive materials used for destruction
by atomic bombs are easily available in market at cheap prices. Ministers and
other government officials enjoy the facilities of squads of armed body guards
while public places like markets, roads, shopping centers, bus stands etc are
not adequately protected. To control terrorism, government needs to stop
fighting the proxy war on behalf of USA.
Secondly, 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.
Culprits should not be allowed to escape out of country. Rather strict
punishments should be imposed on them. Not only they should be strictly dealt
with, but the wealth looted by them should be recovered and employed for the
welfare of people. Judiciary should be an independent institution. Currently
Pakistan has experienced a new era in the history of its judicial set-up.
Judiciary is powerful but we have yet to wait and see the results of
independence of judiciary in Pakistan.
Thirdly, poverty reduction should be top priority of government. Cottage
industry and self-business should be promoted. Agriculture is the backbone of
Pakistan’s economy. It should be strengthened by providing loans to farmers.
Free of cost educations should be provided to children in villages. Overall
standard of living needs to be improved and inflation should be controlled.
Lastly, for economic development, energy crises should be controlled. New dams
should be built and new methods of producing electricity should be utilized.
Conclusion:
As stated in the start of essay, no country is free from socio-economic
problems. These problems are present in every country but the winners are those
who overcome most if not all of them. Though Pakistan is currently facing a lot
of socio-political and socio-economic problems but it doesn’t mean that it is
going towards its end. Nations face multifarious problems but together they work
for towards the solution. The same is the need of hour. Government as well as
every single citizen of Pakistan has to play its own specific role to bring
about a positive change.