Pak govt failed to address challenges hindering governance, reforms: Report

Islamabad, Aug 28 (IANS) Pakistan’s ruling structure, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has failed to chart a clear path to address the vital challenges hindering governance and reforms, a report cited on Thursday.

Additionally, in its efforts to stabilise Pakistan's economy under an IMF loan programme worth $7 billion, the government has visibly disregarded the welfare of the country's impoverished population.

"In a country where the prevalent rate of poverty hovers around 40-45 per cent of the population, the progress towards a qualitatively better future will remain a very distant prospect. In looking at the continuing challenge of poverty, it is important to recognise the downside risk from this gap for the future of Pakistan's stability," Islamabad-based journalist Farhan Bokhari wrote in leading Pakistani daily, The News International.

"Across Pakistan, fundamental human needs, notably access to healthcare, education, providing employment and personal security, are available for the privileged few. But access to the best of such outlets for the poor remains an absent prospect. It is clear that Pakistan has failed to deliver on all of its basic obligations to its population across the board," it added.

According to the report, as flash floods wreak havoc across Pakistan, the government’s inability to implement urgent reforms to meet the challenges remains weak and increasingly in doubt. The prevailing status quo at the central and provincial levels, it said, threatens to slow the pace of the much-needed reforms.

Amid the relentless flash floods sweeping across the country, the poorest of the poor had to cope with the lack of protective measures needed to restore their livelihoods.

"Arguably, the mounting losses witnessed year after year from climate change-related events must be seen through the prism of growing poverty. This refers back to the growing cost of fuel for cooking purposes, which has forced large communities in the countryside to rely on cutting trees for use as firewood. In this process, the loss of Pakistan’s forest land has only contributed to environmental degradation as never before. In the process, Pakistan has suffered badly through deforestation, while much-needed reforestation has failed to keep pace with the removal of trees in the first place," Bokhari detailed.

Along with the persistent rise in poverty, the report emphasised that the other deteriorating patterns include a continuing decline in the quality of public healthcare and educational services across Pakistan. Also, it stressed that the government's failure to introduce policies supporting the agricultural sector has further hindered the prospect of boosting food security in the country.

"The emergency of today is large enough to warrant an immediate halt to fanciful projects, notably by the Punjab government. The pursuit of high-speed train services smacks of either a poor understanding of Pakistan’s grassroots reality or a complete disregard for the plight of the poor. Besides, a continuing pursuit of high-speed motorways appears to disregard the mounting threat from increasing food insecurity across Pakistan,” the analyst noted in his opinion piece for The News International.

--IANS

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