Monday, October 29, 2012

Pakistan in a glimpse

February 05, 2011

The country is globalized and urbanized, with highly rich and extremely poor citizens. The scenario is: inflation, power shortages and depreciation of Pak currency; machine factories and production of local goods are in crisis while consumerism is mounting. Foreign investment in domestic manufacturing is in crisis whereas foreign investment in service sector is increasing.

The role of the state officials in policy formulation is insignificant and has been governed by the international agencies. The government officials have not been taking any sustainable productive initiatives of national projects whereas mushroom-growth of non-governmental organizations has escalated.

Primary-Secondary schools and libraries have been neglected whereas private educational institutes are growing for a specific class. Degree holders have increased whereas scientists are in extinction; information communication technology has been promoted whereas nothing has been projected for establishing the foundation of general science and technology. Independent research is vanishing while consultancy services have become available.

General housing has decreased whereas high-rise buildings and projects destroying ecological balances are obvious. Urban population is increasing, which do not find reasonable wages to survive; outward migration is greater than before whereas proper utilization of own human and material resources is on the verge.

General health opportunities are barely adequate for a common citizen – expensive private clinics are increasing. Crime rate is levitating and so is the insecurity of every citizen. Sustainable employment opportunities have decreased and people under poverty line have increased immensely. The number of poor in the country has risen from 60 to 77 million since 2007 because of food inflation according to Oxfam report (Food Crisis in Pakistan: Real or Artificial, October 16, 2008). The report deduced that the poorest 20 percent spent 50 to 58 percent of their income just to buy cereals and a major problem in Pakistan was absence of authentic data on food production.

Corruption, non-transparent privatization and black economy (bribery, employment of professional criminals and commission from not only government projects but from hidden contracts with foreign companies) are leading Pakistan to more economic troubles. There has never been a phenomenon of accountability.

The course of Pakistan’s politics can be determined because accumulation of capital through criminal activities has become a tradition (in politics). The emergence of rich-corrupt people and their supremacy on national structure has made it easier for global institutions to launch their agenda. By this real democracy cannot grow. The state officials are busy in implementing the programs of IMF to privatize all utility services. Thus, citizens have to bear the consequences because of the policies made for foreign profiteers.

The parallelism in growth of wealth and poverty - power and vulnerability can be observed in this fragmented Muslim nuclear state as it is suffering from artificial nutrition of IMF.

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