pakistan: defying the odds - spearhead research
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Pakistan: Defying the odds
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The road traffic in a country is a
good barometer of its level of
discipline, education and
mannerisms. There was a time
when smartly turned out traffic
cops and motor-bike riding
sergeants manned the roads of
Pakistan and traffic rules were followed and implemented. This was when traffic
signals worked and people respected the laws and everyone was expected to
abide by them. Gradually, like other spheres of life in Pakistan, the traffic
deteriorated into a morass of chaos and dysfunctionality. With total and utter
disregard of rules, regulations and common courtesy the roads have turned into
a lethal maze that we are expected to navigate through each and every day. Today
we are faced with snarling and cursing motorists full of road-rage; heavily laden
motor-cyclists verging on lunacy weaving through traffic; and, a host of other
inhabitants and contraptions creating impossible traffic scenarios. There is hardly
any semblance of order or courtesy as regulations appear to be there for flouting,
as plump ill-clad and scruffy
looking traffic wardens sit under
the trees chatting on their cell
phones, while watching the
shenanigans on the roads.
Occasionally, they can be seen
harassing some motor cycle rider
or the owner of a small Suzuki Mehran. I have yet to see a warden stop a Prado
with an armed guard laden Hi-Lux in tow. Just as the roads appear to be a lawless
jungle devoid of governance or order, the governance structure of the country
too appears to have fallen apart in every institutional facet. On top of it just as we
have handed over our lives to ill-trained and uneducated drivers who navigate the
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traffic contributing to an already impossible situation, while we sit snugly in the
air-conditioned back-seats of our cars oblivious to the chaos on the roads, we
have handed over our destiny to a majority of illiterate and uncouth elected
representatives, who are at best good for the evening barking bouts on television.
The issue with Pakistan appears to be
two-fold: On the one hand pity
appears to have taken precedence
over regulations, and this has led to
the gradual erosion and lack of
implementation of laws. On the
other hand, power appears to have taken precedence over regulations leading to
the violation of laws with relative impunity. Both these issues have resulted in the
destruction of the rules of governance and here we are faced with a dismal
situation that has broken down the norms and turned us into a jungle with a mob
of people moving around like senseless zombies oblivious of our obligations and
the laws of governance. The recent actions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan have
helped restore some semblance of
confidence to an ailing system and one
hopes that there will be a trickle-down
effect and things will gradually start to
improve as State institutions regain
their confidence and start the uphill
task of real and objective governance.
The decline in across the board standards is evident if one looks at the ranking of
Pakistan on certain key parameters across different dimensions. It is all very well
for us to think that the world revolves around Pakistan, but reality is different and
needs to be understood so that appropriate measures can be adopted to address
the issues and improve the standing in the comity of nations. Perhaps it is time
for a stock check by reviewing the fact sheet for Pakistan. There are a number of
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institutions and organisations that prepare global rankings of countries based on
different aspects such as Social, Political, Economic, and Military, which help to
evaluate where the country stands relative to its peers. This data has been used
to develop a fact sheet for Pakistan to evaluate its current standing.
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Pakistan Fact Sheet
Source: CIA World Fact Book, UNDP, World Bank, EIU, ADB
Category
Pakistan
Ranking
Total
Countries
Mid-
Point Trend
Geographic
Total Population 7 238 119 High
Total Area 36 257 129 High
Population Growth Rate 81 235 118 High
Healthcare
Progress Towards SDG 149 188 94 Low
Health System 122 190 95 Low
Hospital Beds per 1000 170 190 95 Low
Maternal Mortality 44 184 92 High
Infant Mortality 26 225 113 High
Life Expectancy 167 224 112 Low
Health Expenditure 187 192 96 Low
Global Hunger Index 107 118 59 High
Education
Education Expenditure 164 173 87 Low
Human Development Index 147 188 94 Low
Economy
Exports 66 224 112 High
Imports 55 223 112 High
Economic Freedom 141 186 93 Low
Public Debt 48 190 95 High
External Debt 59 206 103 High
Current Account Deficit 161 199 100 High
Foreign Exchange Reserves 57 172 86 High
Foreign Direct Investment 63 128 64 Medium
Military Spending 21 132 66 High
Budget Deficit 142 220 110 High
Unemployment 75 208 104 Medium
GDP (Nominal) Per Capita 173 216 108 Low
GDP PPP 26 229 115 High
GDP Real Growth 44 225 113 High
GDP Per Capita 171 230 115 Low
Gross National Savings 121 181 91 Low
Taxes and Other Revenues 195 220 110 Low
Competitiveness Index 128 138 69 Low
Power
Electricity Production 34 221 111 High
Electricity Consumption 35 220 110 High
Installed Generating Capacity 36 215 108 High
Pakistan: Defying the odds
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e5 The Fact Sheet and the individual rankings are a good representation of the state
of affairs in the country. It is relevant to note that Pakistan is in the red on most
rankings, and needs considerable improvement. It is a fact that Pakistan is the
36th largest country in terms of land and sea area, but at the same time it has the
7th largest population in the world with a high growth rate. An estimated 54% of
the population is below the age of 24 years, and the urbanization rate is 39%. The
rapidly increasing population pressure is a considerable drag on the meagre
resources of the country, which is hampering meaningful development from
materializing. The relatively younger population requires opportunities for
growth, which are restricted at the moment, but expected to improve if the CPEC
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initiative gathers momentum and is leveraged to exploit the potential
opportunities.
Two major indicators of the
social development in a country
are the standard and quality of
the Healthcare and Educational
systems. Unfortunately, Pakistan
performs dismally on both with
inadequate and sub-standard
health and education facilities. As a result of this the other factors in the economy
are negatively impacted as the Human Resource quality is under strain both in
terms of physical and mental characteristics. Pakistan is ranked 149th out of 188
countries in the first global assessment of countries’ progress towards the United
Nations’ health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and, in the World
Health Organization’s ranking of the world’s health systems Pakistan it is 122nd
out of 190 countries. These are grounds for serious concern. As many as 12 million
children in Pakistan suffer from stunted growth, as per a World Bank study titled:
‘Pakistan Development Update’. At 44%, Pakistan has the third highest rate of
stunting in the world.
Pakistan ranks a dismal 170th
out of 190 countries on
hospital beds per 1000
people and is ranked among
the 10 countries (out of 194)
where 60% of the world’s 5.9
Million children die before
their fifth birthday due to
complications from
premature birth and pneumonia, according to researchers from the Johns
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Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organisation.
The rankings on maternal mortality, infant mortality, and life expectancy reflect
the low level of healthcare expenditure, placing Pakistan at 187th out of 192
countries and with a ratio of one
doctor per 1,038 persons, and
one dentist for 11,513 persons,
things are abysmal.
In terms of education, 9% (24
million) of the world’s 263
million out-of-school children,
adolescents and youth, are located in Pakistan. The country ranked a lowly 164th
on Education expenditure at 2.7% of GDP out of 173 countries and no educational
institution was listed among the top 500 Universities in the World. This is
reflected in the low Competiveness ranking and the low Human Development
Index for Pakistan.
Pakistan is ranked as the 26th most water-stressed country, where 35% of the
population lacks access to safe water. By 2025, the population is expected to cross
250 million, reducing Pakistan’s per capita annual availability of water to 660
cubic meters. In a recent study by Mercer measuring quality of living standards
three cities from Pakistan made to the list from among 230 countries.
Unfortunately, at positions 193, 199 and 202, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi
feature very low on the list,
which is topped by the
Austrian capital Vienna. In
another study by the German
watch’s Global Climate Risk
Index 2017 Pakistan was
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ranked 7th among countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. The
study also postulated that:
Pakistan was ranked among 10 countries where most urban residents
lacked access to proper sanitation.
Pakistan ranked towards the bottom in infant and neonatal mortality.
(UNICEF)
Around 50 Million people in the country had various psychological
problems (WHO) but, the country had only 320 psychiatrists and only five
psychiatric hospitals.
Pakistan continues to be affected by endemic transmission of wild
poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) with 20 cases reported in 2016.
On the economic front the
country continues to grapple
with falling exports, rising
imports, low FDI, low
remittances, and high levels
of debt and deficits. The lack
of proper social
development and adequate opportunities continue to erode the competitiveness
of Pakistan and restrict the development of human capital. Unless the
government is able to expand its revenue generation capacity and improve the
inflows, Pakistan is likely to face tougher conditions in the future. The young
population base needs to be harnessed and converted into an engine of growth.
The myopic focus on self-preservation and power by the ruling elite has to be
replaced by a mind-set of equality and equal opportunities for all with genuine
reforms geared towards real development.
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Pakistan has completed 70 years of independence and it is time to take stock of
where we stand as a Nation. Do we want to lag the world on all fronts or do we
capitalize on our strengths and become a meaningful contributor to the Global
arena? Pakistan has exhibited tremendous resilience over the years in the face of
often daunting odds. There are social, economic and political dysfunctionalities
but there are state institutions that are still holding their own and functioning as
they should. Pakistan is the only Islamic state with nuclear capability which is a
tribute to the tenacity of this young state. Moving forward, Pakistan has to deal
with the many challenges facing the
country, which range from insecure
borders to the challenge posed by
hardline Islamic militant groups. The
country has been burdened with
excessive debt and high visibility
infra-structure projects, while a third
of its citizens survive below the poverty line. Pakistan continues to defy the odds.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Army have vowed to uphold the
Constitution of Pakistan and one hopes that this would ensure the continuation
of democracy and the strengthening of the state institutions. It is imperative for
Pakistan to improve its social sectors to ensure that it can strengthen its Human
resource capability and capacity and thus enhance its competitiveness. This
should be the core focus of this and future governments as we move forward.