KARACHI:
The numbers are grim, but the reality on the ground is harsher. Nearly half of Pakistan’s population is now at risk of falling into poverty. The World Bank says more than 42% of Pakistanis already live below the poverty line, with another 2.6 million pushed into this hardship just last year. For many households, survival has become a daily calculation.
Prices may no longer be spiraling as they were a year ago, but relief is hard to find. Inflation has eased to about 4.6% now, yet wages remain frozen with no change. Families complain that a bag of flour or a gas cylinder still takes up a shocking share of monthly income. One illness, one job loss, one increase in school fees is enough to break a family’s fragile balance.
The pain is not confined to individual homes. Weak purchasing power has slowed the economy itself, with growth hovering at just 2.6% this year. Shops stand quieter, factories struggle to expand and frustration over inequality simmers. Poverty is no longer just a by-product of economic problems it has fast became the problem itself.
Government support schemes, like the BISP, offer some relief, but they are a drop in the ocean compared to the need. With energy prices high and jobs scarce, many Pakistanis feel abandoned. Unless policies shift towards protecting households and creating meaningful employment, the country risks a social fracture that no macroeconomic “stability” can hide.
A recovery that leaves half the nation unable to afford dignity and fulfil basic needs is not a recovery at all. Poverty is not just a statistic; it is a verdict on the state’s priorities. Pakistan’s future will be defined not by growth charts, but by whether its people can live with security and hope.
Nofal Rauf Chouhan and Hasnain Mir
Islamabad
