Editorial

Structured poverty

The report shows that over one-third of children in Pakistan under the age of five were malnourished

Editorial July 13, 2019

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has calculated that Pakistan lifted 6.2% of its population out of acute poverty during the five-year term of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), although the number of people living in multidimensional poverty still stood at 38.3% in 2018. The new Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report also found that the intensity of multidimensional poverty is considerably higher at 51.7%, according to data for the fiscal year 2017-18. The report shows that over one-third of children in Pakistan under the age of five were malnourished and suffering from intra-household inequality, while 41.3% of the population is also deprived of education, “a startling figure that underscores the need to heavily invest in humans”.

Interestingly, the UNDP has also mentioned that according to the national poverty line, only 24.3% of people were living in poverty. The large difference shows how poverty is not just about income, but a much broader sense of deprivation.

Surprisingly, the study also found that 7.1% of the population did not have access to electricity as compared to 6.3% five years ago. This finding was at odds with a statement by World Economic Forum (WEF) President Borge Brende, made on Thursday, where he said Pakistan has largely addressed energy and security challenges during the past five years. Brende also said the country still needs to be cautiously optimistic as the economy remains at a critical juncture, and that while IMF loans will address some short and medium-term challenges, they will not necessarily address structural issues.

And how those structural issues will be fixed is anyone’s guess. The PML-N’s magic wand may have lowered poverty, but bringing prosperity was not something it could accomplish. The PTI, meanwhile, appears to be taking a sledgehammer approach to the middle class. If only there was hard evidence to support his optimism.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2019.

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