Not The Pakistan That We Had Hoped For!

Ishtiaq Ahmed

London: Pakistan’s economy is in doldrums. The Inflation is average in the mid 30’s with no prospect of it coming down. The rupees is so devalued against the dollar that it’s purchasing power is zilch against the dollar and the sterling, the world’s two principal exchange currencies.

The country is unable to meet its financial commitments because the liabilities have doubled and troubled and the handouts from the previous reliable partners such as Saudia and China are less and less forthcoming.

With mounting financial crisis, the country is to pay for its imports. This has to the shortages of basic essentials such as food, gas and oil. As a consequence, the prices of these commodities have skyrocketed adding misery to millions.

The international economic downturn is one explanation for Pakistan’s mounting crisis. Certainly, the Ukrainian war has impacted greatly on the world economy and there is no denying that it also impacted hugely on Pakistan too.

But poor governance, political unrest and low productivity at home are also the principal reasons for Pakistan’s dire downturn. The political leadership of all persuasions is too distracted and lacking in vision and strategy to halt and reverse the current national trends in order to rescue the country from slipping further into the economic abyss.

These are the dark days for the nation and darker days are yet come.

We can reference the international contributing factors for not having control over but there is no excuse for internal ills of poor governance, lack of forward vision and planning, political unrest, breakdown of law and order, the demise of country’s main institutions.

But it is the demise of the local industries particularly agriculture, the provider of the nation’s food, that is taking toll on millions ability to survive. Diminishing employment, loss of income and spiralling costs of daily essentials are squeezing millions with no prospects.

One of the most damaging aspects of the current political and economic crisis, apart from a few party faithfuls, people are rapidly losing faith and trust in the willingness and the ability of current political leadership to be able to turn things around for the better.

Their conduct has sucked the hope out of people. Millions caught in poverty and their numbers are swelling daily. Never in the past, have we as a nation, been witness this level of apathy and disenfranchisement of people from the national debate.

This is perhaps the most crucial damaging aspect of the current national crisis- people being disenfranchised from the national interests. We may succeed in overcoming the political instability and the economy in jeopardy, although it seems difficult at the present, but it would take a long time to revive and regain public trust in the country’s political and otherwise institutions.

This apathy will further fuel alienation and divisions in society, already of many halves. Pakistan has always taken pride in national fervour which could be relied upon in difficult and challenging times. This is being put in strain to the potential demise of our collective national identity- a worrying prospect.

The stories of people dying whilst waiting in queues to receive their bags of flours from the government relief programmes are frequent. The media has also highlighted individuals and families attempting or taking their lives for not being able to afford their existence.

This should not be happening in the land of ‘pure’ as our colleague Asem Awan , who frequently writes for thepenpk.com , so diligently points out. How can people go hungry in a country that only recently was self sufficient in food? It is beyond comprehension.

Apart from shortages of staple food like flour and inflationary costs of other essential items, the health of millions is also being put on risk for not being able to afford basic treatment and medicines. Families are being forced to choose between healthcare and other necessities. For many, the choice is between the food on the table or a visit to a doctor or pharmacy.

We can very well anticipate on which side the pendulum of choice will come to rest. The children, women and the aged are disproportionately more vulnerable.

Pakistan has long struggled with poor healthcare. Forty per cent of children are stunted, or short for their age because of malnutrition, according to Unicef, a condition that can inflict life-long physical and cognitive damage.

More than half of medical spending is out of pocket, as severely underfunded public hospitals often leave patients with little choice but to pay for treatment.

This situation has been made more dire by the current economic crisis. By not being able to access medical care in time only adds to complications. All that is happening is that the nation’s health problems are being stored away for an already ailing health system.

The economic crisis are also making it difficult for people to access education as parents are increasingly unable to be able to pay for books, uniforms and fees. The decimated government schooling provision lacks investment and quality with many schools facing closures due to lack of teacher and pupils.

The private sector is becoming too expensive. Many parents are having to make difficult decisions of feeding their children or sending them to school. It is a choice that the parents should not be forced to make.

Pakistan already spends least on education whereby millions of children are not in schools for economic and poverty reasons or they have no access to schools. Even where there are schools, theses are poorly equipped and not fit for the purposes.

Pakistan has one of the youngest populations but this natural human resource is being neglected to go to the waste. It is of a little surprise that the future of Pakistan is being denied, held back and compromised.

The society that ignores it’s children is doomed to produce beggars, thief’s , rubbish pickers, druggies and social parasites. Can we really blame our children for what they may become?

Lack of education, poor health, and poverty – a triple lock- have an interlocking overall impact One cannot move forward on any of these without unlocking the others.

While politicians carry on with their tit- for- tat politics, the problems of the beleaguered nation are being put to the background. A very sad state of affairs for the nation that had such high hopes 75 years ago.

The author is a British citizen of Pakistani origin with a keen interest in Pakistani and international affairs.

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